The Way Life Should Be
by AlwaysHappyEndings
Summary: What if Tris and Tobias had known each other during childhood and life had gone the way it should have. My first attempt EVER. Please review. More chapters to come if ya want em! :) I don't own any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

I sat on the ground clutching my knee as tears streamed down my face and I tried to control the sobs that were shaking my small body. I wasn't sure how I had fallen but all I knew was that it had scared me and now I was in extreme pain. My loose grey pants had now had a large hole in the knee area and I lifted them up to see what damage had been done. My knee was cut up with dirt in it and blood was gushing from it and then running down my leg. The sight terrified me and I began to cry even harder. Suddenly I head quick steps coming towards me a someone kneeled beside me and put their hand on mine. I wasn't used to personal contact, being Abnegation and all but I didn't push the hand away. I was too distraught. I looked up through my tears and made eye contact with this stranger. He had interesting dark blue eyes and dark hair. Not only that but he was a kid. Just like me!

"Are you ok? What's the matter?" he asked with genuine concern.  
I tried to calm down enough to catch my breath. I managed to stammer out,

"I hurt my my knee." I said with a bit of a hiccup at the end.

"Here let me see." he said gently and kneeled down in front of me. He examined my knee with interest then looked at me with those wonderful eyes.

"Its not too bad." he said, "Maybe if we just clean it out a bit it will be better. How does that sound?" I nodded my head without saying anything and took his hand as he helped me up.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Beatrice Prior." I answered quietly, "And I'm six years old!" I said with smile, proud of my age.

"I'm Tobias Eaton." he said with a grin, "And I'm eight years old. I think we're going to become really good friends Beatrice." he smiled and his whole face brightened. I couldn't help but hope he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

Six Years Later

I walked home from school without paying attention to what I was doing. Suddenly a face was in front of me and instinct took over. My right hand balled into a fist and propelled forward toward the face. The face quickly dodged my punch and I heard Tobias laugh,

"You know Tris if you don't like me you can just tell me!" he said.

"I'm sorry Tobias, you jumped me and it just kinda happened."

"That's ok Tris. You know, you could probably be in Dauntless with moves like that" he said with a smile

"Well so could you, you have pretty good reflexes you know." He laughed at my words and we continued our walk home. He didn't say anything more about Dauntless but I saw that look in his eyes that meant he was thinking deeply. Before long we made it back to houses. They stood side by side and looked pretty much identical except maybe mine was better kept. They were small and white with a small walkway leading up to the stairs and then a simple wooden door led inside. There were two floors and four windows were visible from the street. A tall oak tree stood between the two houses with its thick branches spreading out between two windows. When I sit in my room and look out my window, I can see Tobias's window and room directly across. It's nice having my best friend so close. I glanced over at Tobias and smile.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school then" I say.

"Ok, bye!" I smile again and playfully poke him in the side. He winces and takes a sharp intake of breath. I freeze and stare at him with wide eyes, thoroughly confused about what just happened. His eyes are large as well and look panicked. Quickly he says under his breath,

"I'll tell you later. Wait by your window." Then he turned around without a word or a backward glance and walked into his house. My mind was racing with thoughts and questions but I pushed them out of the way as I walked into my house. I needed to be the good little Abnegation girl, always unselfish, always ready for help. It takes a lot of effort for me to be that way and sometimes I can't help but think that I belong somewhere besides Abnegation.


	3. Chapter 3

That night I got ready for bed as usual and shut off my light. Then I sat looking out my window waiting for some sign from Tobias. I had been sitting there for about ten minutes when suddenly the light in Tobias's room turned on, off, on, off, on, off, and then stayed off. I took this as my que and silently opened my window. I leaned out and looked across at Tobias who was also standing in his window. As I watched he lifted his hand and beckoned me over. I looked at him incredulously and then at the ground. I looked back up at him and he waved me over again. So, I took a deep breath and slowly hefted myself out the window until if was just sitting on the edge. Luckily, one of the thick, sturdy branches of the tree was right below me. I quickly found my footing and made my way to Tobias's window. He took my hand and helped me into his room and then quietly closed his window. When he turned to me he put his finger to his lips signaling we should stay quiet. He then walked over to his small closet, opened the door, and sat inside. I sat down next to him and looked at him expectantly. He took a deep breath, sighed, and then looked at me with sad eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

"Tris, there's something i need to tell you, and have needed to tell you for kind of a long time." he looks at me and I nod my head that he should continue.

"My dad. Well he beats me. Often." Tobias says with his head down. He looks up at me and must see the confusion on my face. He takes another deep breath before continuing on.

"It's been happening for the past couple of years but as I get older the beatings become more brutal. He never hits me in the face, only in places where it won't be seen. But, now I need you to see and I need you to understand. Please don't freak out. I know Abnegation are supposed to be reserved, but I need you to see. If that's ok." He looks at me questioningly and I nod my consent. Although I'm not really sure what I'm agreeing to. I watch Tobias as he turns so his back is to me and he kneels in front of me. Slowly he lifts his gray shirt up and bares his back to my gaze. What I see sickens and terrifies me. His back is covered with large, dark bruises that can be seen even in the dark. But there aren't just bruises. There are angry welts and cuts all over his back and I can see his injuries wrapping around his sides to his front. Under the horror of it all I can see the muscles in his back and wonder how he got so toned. Abnegation don't really exercise that much. I reach out and gently lay my hand against his back, making sure I don't hurt him.

"Oh Tobias." I whisper just loud enough for him to hear me. He turns back around so he's facing me and puts his shirt back on. Which was kind of a shame. When he looks me in the eyes again his face is hard and emotionless. So much different than the Tobias I usually see. He needed help and I was going to give it to him.

"What can we do?" I ask, "We can't keep letting him do this to you." Tobias smiles like his usual self and says,

"Well I did have one idea. I'm going to pick Dauntless at the Choosing Ceremony, get away from Marcus once and for all." I know he's right so I nod my head in agreement.

"That gives us less than two years to get you ready." I say, "We'd better get started soon." He nods in agreement and then says something I really wasn't expecting,

"Will you choose Dauntless too?" he asks and I am completely at a loss for words. Before I can answer him we hear loud footsteps coming up the stairs. Tobias has just enough time to jump up and close the door with me inside before Marcus throws open Tobias's door and walks in.


	5. Chapter 5

I sit in Tobias's closet too afraid to breath or move. I have my eye to the crack in the door and can just barely see Tobias and Marcus. Tobias stands in his room stiff and on edge while Marcus stands in the doorway with his face dark with anger. Never have I seen Marcus look this way before and it frightens me.

"What are you doing up?" Marcus asks Tobias, his voice low but with a threatening edge to it.

"I couldn't sleep." Tobias answered, looking Marcus straight in the eye.

"I don't care if you can sleep or not you're supposed to be in bed asleep."

"Ok, I'm sorry. I'm going." Tobias says and heads towards his bed.

"No." Marcus says in his low menacing tone,

"You're already up so you might as well learn a lesson about going to bed when you're supposed to." As I watch, Marcus pulls up his gray shirt enough that his belt shows and begins pulling it out of the pant loops.

"Don't worry Tobias," he says. "This is for your own good." He takes his belt and begins whipping Tobias with it. Tobias covers his hands and face with his arms and then curls up in a ball on the floor. Marcus continues to beat him with the belt, then after a while, he punches Tobias in the side a few times and then finishes off with a kick to Tobias's rib age. Marcus is breathing heavy when he's finally done and heads toward the door.

"You'll thank me one day." he says with a sick smile. Then he walks out the door and slams it behind him. Throughout the whole thing Tobias hadn't made a sound. Not a moan, cry, whimper, or even a word of protest. My heart was seized in an iron grip of fear as Tobias continued to lie on the floor unmoving. After a few minutes I quietly opened the closet door and crawl over to Tobias. I gently turn him over so I can see his face and his eyes are closed. I place a hand on either side of his face and look at the handsome and strong, yet broken boy in front of me.

"Tobias." I whisper. "Tobias." Finally he opens those beautiful blue eyes and I gaze into them for a moment. He looks away as one solitary tear falls from his eye. I hold him as close to me as I dare without hurting him and make up my mind.

"We're going to get you out of here." I say my voice low but steady.

"Whatever it takes, we will get you away from that monster. And when it's my turn, I'll follow you. Because we are best friends and we need each other. I'll always be here for you Tobias. Whenever you need me."


	6. Chapter 6

It has been six months since Tobias and I had decided that one day we will both be going to Dauntless. Tobias said we both needed more strength if we wanted to be Dauntless so we've come up with a sort of work out schedules. Everyday we both do multiple sets of push-ups, sit-ups, wall sits, and crunches. My arms haven't become much stronger yet but my core has. My stomach is completely flat and my abs are more pronounced. Tobias has become even more toned and just as handsome as ever. Every night for two hours, I sneak out my window and practice fighting with Tobias. We don't actually fight because that would be too loud and probably dangerous. Instead we make up moves and do them in slow motion. It isn't much, but it's better than nothing.

Tonight I'm really excited because Tobias told me he had a surprise to show me. I have no idea what it could possibly be but I'm impatient to find out. When it's time I poem my window and climb through, same as I do every night. I'm so used to climbing between the two windows now that I don't even have to worry about falling. When I look down at the ground fifteen feet below, I feel a strange thrill of excitement. Maybe I do belong in Dauntless after all. I don't think Tobias likes heights much, he never crawls over to my window. But that's ok, I don't mind. When I get over to Tobias's window I tap lightly on the glass and he opens it for me. I put one leg through the window and duck in before pulling the other leg down as well. I look around Tobias's room and I notice that there's something new on one of his walls. There's a square piece of wood hanging on his wall about five feet up. Engraved in the wood is three circles, each one smaller than the other. I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be so I look at Tobias for an explanation.

"Its called a target," he says. "You throw things at it and the closer you are to the small circle, the more accurate your throw was."

"But what are we going to throw at it?" I ask.

"This." He sticks his hand in his pocket and pulls out a knife. My eyes get wide and I stare at him with my mouth open. In Abnegation we only have butter knives but this one has a curved handle and the blade is thin and sharp.

"Where did you get that from?!" I ask incredulously. Tobias smiles at me with a gleam in his eye.

"From a boy at school," he says. "His names Zeke and he's Dauntless born. Today he was playing around with this knife and showing it off. I was watching him and he noticed. He laughed at me and then put the knife in my hand. He started entertaining his friends with jokes about Stiffs but I just put the knife in my pocket and headed home. Now we have this to practice with too." he smiled again and then looked at me to see what my response was. I think for a moment and then decide that I am intrigued and kind of excited. I smile and look Tobias straight in the eye.

"Let's get started."

As the months go on we critique our knife throwing until we both can hit the smallest circle without really trying. So we come up with new ways of challenging ourselves to enhance our skill. We continue with the hand to hand combat and strength training and the months fly by. Suddenly, without really realizing it our two years are up and Tobias's Choosing Ceremony is one week away. The reality of losing Tobias drives a cold knife into my heart and I know I'm going to miss him terribly.


	7. Chapter 7

It's the day before the Choosing Ceremony and Tobias has to go for some sort of test that will tell him which faction he belongs in best. I'm not quite sure what kind of a test it is but it's very important. So, I wished Tobias good luck, flashed him one of my special smiles that I only give to him, and wave goodbye. The thought of him leaving tomorrow weighs heavily on me as I head home. I ignore the great sadness that I can feel overcoming me because I know Tobias needs this. He needs to get away from his abusive, monster of a father. Besides I'll be joining him in just two years. Two very lonely and very long years. I sigh and sit on my bed in my room. I face Tobias's window and get lost in the past. I remember the first time we met and how we became best friends. He was the first and only person I was ever able to completely open up to. He never judged me and always listened as if what I had to say was important.

I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize Tobias was home and waving me over to his room. I quickly make my way through the windows and into his room. As soon as I am standing Tobias throws his arms around me and crushes me in a hug. I'm completely taken by surprise because Abnegation don't really touch much, like at all. I expect his hug to be awkward and uncomfortable but surprisingly it isn't. It's actually kind of comfy. But he's squeezing me a little too tight and I need to get his attention before he squeezes me to death.

"I take it your test went well then?" I ask, trying to laugh but the only thing that comes out is a wheeze. Tobias quickly releases me and takes a step back. Without his arms around me I feel cold and alone but I ignore the feeling.

"You could say that I guess. It was definitely interesting."

"How so?" I ask.

"Nothing important." he says quickly.

"Well then what was the hug for hmm? Come on explain yourself." I say trying not to smile. Tobias looks down at the floor and I can see his ears have started to turn red. When he looks up at me again I can see that his cheeks are red too. I can't help but wonder what that's all about.

"The hug was to say goodbye." he says slowly.

"I won't get to see you again before the Choosing Ceremony and then afterwards I'll be gone..." he stops talking when he notices I'm staring at the floor. He puts one of his long fingers under my chin and lifts my face up so I'm forced to look him in the eye. Tears are streaming down my face and everything is blurry.

"Hey now." Tobias says, as he gently pulls me into another hug.

"Its ok Tris. This isn't goodbye for forever. It'll only be for a little while. Then we'll be together again same as always." I hold him tighter and the tears continue to stream down my face.

"I'm going to miss you so much." I manage to choke out.

"Who's going to call me Tris now? Who will I talk to? I need you Tobias."

"I know Tris, I know. I need you too. Just stay strong while I'm gone ok? These two years will go by as quickly as these last two did I promise. Now no more crying. I want our last night together to be a good one." He smiles at me and I can't help but smile back. We spend the rest of the night just talking about the good times we've had together and absentmindedly throwing knives at the target. Too soon I have to go back to my own room. Before climbing out the window I give Tobias a sad smile,

"Look for me in the audience tomorrow ok?" Then, for the last time, I crawl through his window and back to my own. Why I'm back in my room I stand at my window and see Tobias standing at his. I wave to him and then turn around and head to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

I wake up the morning of the Choosing Ceremony with a sinking feeling in my stomach. The reality of losing Tobias for two years has now become undeniably real. Already I feel an emptiness inside of me that I know only Tobias can fill. The morning goes by in a blur and before I know it I'm walking with my parents and Caleb to the Choosing Ceremony. We find our seats and I take a moment to look around. The huge room is filled with people from all five factions. Just by looking at the color of their clothing I could tell where they were from. The bright colors were Amity, black and white were Candor, the blue were Erudite, full black were Dauntless, and the boring gray were Abnegation. I look down at my own gray clothing and realize how much I dislike them. I think of the Dauntless all in black and look up to observe the dark crowd. I look at these people and try to imagine Tobias there. It's hard to think about but maybe he could fit in there. Then I try to imagine myself with him there. The thought makes me smile and I know it wouldn't matter where we were as long as we had each other.

The room becomes quiet as Jeanine Matthews walks onto the stage. She gives the same speech as she always does and at the end two men dresses in Erudite blue come out carrying a table with five bowls on top. Each one represents a faction and will be used to show which faction each sixteen year old chooses.

"Let's begin!" Jeanine says with a smile and a flourish of her hand. A curtain raises to reveal all the sixteen year old sitting in a row. Each one looks nervous but my eyes fall on Tobias. He's about halfway down the row and is just sitting staring at his hands. Jeanine begins calling the sixteen year olds one at a time to choose their faction. I don't really pay attention because I can't stop looking at Tobias. He still hasn't looked up.

"Tobias Eaton." Finally Tobias looks up. He stands slowly, deliberately, and walks over to the table. His back is straight and his head is held high. He looks strong and I know he is choosing the right place. When he gets to the table he picks up the knife and makes a cut on his palm. He sets the knife back down and then holds his hand out over the bowl that represents Dauntless. A few drops of blood fall into the bowl and a gasp comes from the crowd of Abnegation. The Dauntless break into hoots and hollers and don't quiet down until Tobias has taken his seat again. This time he doesn't stare at his hands. Instead he looks right at me and his dark blue eyes stare into my gray ones. In those eyes I can see everything he wants to tell me but can't.

Finally all of the choices have been made for this year and Jeanine dismisses us all. I watch as Tobias is engulfed by the black of Dauntless and then walks out of the room to a new future. It takes me a moment to realize he's gone and that I'm going to be alone for the next two years. Already I can feel the loneliness wrapping around my body and numbing me. I don't even try to fight it.


	9. Chapter 9

Two Years Later

These last two years have been the most miserable of my life. I'm not the happy little girl that I used to be anymore. Now I am a gloomy teenager who doesn't know where she belongs. I know it's definitely not in Abnegation but do I really belong opinion Dauntless. And the thought that haunts me most of all is whether Tobias still wants me to be there with him. I know that's what we'd planned but he left to get away from this place and start a new life. What if me being there reminds him of the old life he no longer wants. This thought has tortured me since the first three months he was gone. My mind has been filled with doubt and other miserable things and because of that I have become very withdrawn. I have no friends, I only speak when spoken to, and the only person I can somewhat open up to is Caleb, but he usually has his nose stuck in a book. I feel alone in the world and I'm afraid that feeling will never go away. But through it all I keep up with the push ups and crunches every night. It makes me feel strong and I want to be strong if I choose Dauntless.

Tomorrow is Caleb and I's Choosing Ceremony. I've been waiting for this day for so long but now I'm filled with dread. I'm filled with fear and doubt because of my test today. It was a weird simulation thing that was supposed to tell me which faction to choose. But that didn't happen. Apparently I'm something called Divergent. I could live in any of the factions besides Candor. That's pretty cool except I guess becomes its kind of uncommon it could make me a target. Great. So, between now and the Choosing Ceremony, I need to make my choice. What my choice will be, I don't know yet.

I walk into the large room and it looks the same as when I was here for Tobias's Ceremony. This time though, I'm the one choosing, and I have to sit on the stage with the rest of the sixteen year olds. Because Caleb and I are just ten months apart, he's here too and I'm glad. A Erudite stands near the row of chairs and is calling our names so we know where to sit. Luckily Caleb and I get to sit next to each other and we make small talk until the ceremony starts. After that I kind of zone out until the curtain raises. I stare out to the mass of people and colors and my eyes drift over to the Dauntless. As the sixteen year olds start getting called up to make their decisions, I search every face looking for the blue eyes I've been craving to see for the past two years. They aren't there. He isn't here. He didn't come to see me choose. A cold, heavy weight settles in my stomach at this realization. I don't want to make any assumptions so I ignore all the thoughts that are running through my head and instead focus on the Choosing Ceremony.

"Caleb Prior." I watch as my brother shakily stands up and walks up to the table where the knife is. He makes a small cut on his palm and then holds his hand over the bowl that stands for Erudite. The Erudite cheer and I just stare at my brother completely blind sided. But I guess that explains why he always had his nose in a book. He comes back to his chair and sits down. I reach over and squeeze his hand.

"I love you Caleb. Good luck with everything." I say with a small, sad smile.

"Beatrice Prior." Finally, this is my moment. I stand with my head held high. My parents won't like my decision but I know they will still love me anyways. I walk steadily over to the table and cut my palm with the knife. It only stings a little and there really isn't that much blood. I look at the bowls and see the one I want. I reach my hand out and let a few drops of blood fall on the coals in the Dauntless bowl. I hear the blood sizzle, the Abnegation collectively gasp, and the Dauntless cheer. A huge smile appears on my face as I hear them cheer for me. I'm wanted. I can make a new life and most importantly, I'm going to have a new adventure.


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as the last person chose their faction, the room was filled with the sounds of celebration. I had just stood up when suddenly I was completely surrounded by black. All of Dauntless seemed to be cheering and hollering. The effect was exhilarating. I felt myself start to get excited surrounded by these people. The crowd swept me and the other new Dauntless out the door.

"To the train!" someone shouted and suddenly everyone started sprinting. I was taken off guard but luckily I'm a good runner so I wasn't left behind. We arrived at the train tracks and I knew what was coming next. I had seen Dauntless jump on and off the train before but the thought of having to do that myself never really occurred to me. Oops. On the plus side, at least I'm a fast learner.

"Here comes the train!" people shouted around me and I had to take a deep breath to calm my nerves. As the train came by everyone started running beside it so I followed their lead. I watched a few people ahead of me jump on and decided to try. I ran along next to one of the boxcars, grabbed the handle, and used all of my upper body strength to propel myself into the car. Luckily I made it into the car. Unluckily, I landed a tad bit off balance and would have fallen backwards out of the car if a hand hadn't shot out and grabbed me before I toppled out. I grasped my rescuers hand and got my footing. I looked up to thank the person who had helped me and made eye contact with a girl my age. She was tall and fit with long dark hair and large brown eyes. She was dressed in black and white so she was originally from Candor. She seems nice so I really hope she isn't the annoying kind of Candor.

"Thank you." I say and she smiles and nods.

"No problem. My names Christina." Her gaze shifts to behind me and her eyes grow wide. I turn to see what she's staring at and can see that the train is going around a corner that wraps around the top of a tall building. Ahead of us we can see Dauntless jumping from the train onto the roof of the building.

"Well I guess this is our stop." I say looking back at Christina.

"Hey let's jump together." she says and I'm surprised when I find myself nodding in agreement. We both walk to the edge and Christina takes my hand. Her finger are long, slender and cold as ice.

"On three," I say.

"One. Two. Three!" We both jump at the same time and manage to land safely on the roof of the building. I turn to Christina and see the same huge smile on her face that is plastered to mine. The adrenaline from what I just did is still coursing through my body and I feel like I could take on the world. I look around me for the first time and see that there are eighteen others on the roof besides Christina and I and the majority seem to be Dauntless born. Suddenly for the first time I realize that there was someone on the roof waiting for us. We all look around at each other for a moment and then gather around him. He's an older man with laugh wrinkles and gray in his hair.

"Everyone listen up!" He says, his voice clear and well projected.

"My name is Max. I am a Dauntless leader. I'm here to congratulate you on your choice and to welcome you to the Dauntless compound. However, the entrance to the compound is several stories below us. To be able to enter the compound, you must first jump off this building." He stops talking and smiles at us, probably because we're all staring at him like he's nuts.

"Take your time." he says and then stands to the side to give us a clear path to the edge of the building.  
My mind is racing as I try to decide what to do. Suddenly I realize that if I don't go now I'll freak myself out. I take a deep breath and then start walking toward the edge of the building. I hear a lot of comments behind me about Stiffs but I ignore them. Wind blows strong here and my baggy shirt keeps catching it and throwing me off balance. I don't want to fall off the building so I undo my gray over shirt one button at a time. When I take it off I reveal the tight gray tank top I have on underneath. Never in my life have I ever shown so much of my body but I kind of like it although I could do without some of the boys whistling at me. I look down at the gray shirt in my hand and let it go on the wind. I return my attention back to the edge of the very tall building and tell myself it's safe. I think back to when I used to climb the tree between the two windows and can't help but smile. Then I throw myself off the building. The adrenaline rush has come back and I give a shout of pleasure as I fall through the air. Suddenly I stop falling and am instead cradled in a net at the bottom of the building. I'm fazed by my excitement and hardly comprehend that someone is reaching out to help me up. I take the hand and it's warm with long, thin, clever fingers. I climb off the net and back onto solid ground and smile up into a very handsome face with dark blue eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

The handsome face and dark blue eyes looks at me searching for a moment. He seems almost puzzled and I don't really know why.

"Whoa! The Stiff jumped first!? I can't believe it!" says a girl with spiky black hair and a nose ring. I turn from the puzzled blue eyes and face her instead.

"What's your name?" she asks and I'm caught off guard. I like my name Beatrice but it doesn't sound very Dauntless like. I don't want to change my name completely because I'm still me. The guy who helped me off the net looks at me and smiles.

"You only get one chance so think it through." I'm still not sure what to call myself but suddenly I remember the only nickname I've ever had.

"My names Tris." I say, sure of myself now. Lauren smiles and then turns to the guy with dark blue eyes.

"Make the announcement Four." The guy, Four apparently, doesn't answer. He's too busy staring at me with wide eyes and it's kinda freakin me out.

"Four?" Lauren asks.

"What yeah sorry. FIRST JUMPER, TRIS!" Suddenly from all around Dauntless appear from out of the darkness, cheering as loud as they can. People congratulate me and pound me on the back while I just smile and take it all in. Already I feel accepted and happy for the first time in a long time. All of a sudden a dark figure falls from the sky and lands in the net with a slight thud. I look over and it's Christina, the second jumper. When she's back on solid ground I run over to her and give her a quick hug. She's grinning from ear to ear and being congratulated by the crowd too.

One by one the rest of the initiates jump off the building and land safely in the net. Once we're all there the crowd of Dauntless melts back into the darkness until just Four and the girl with spiky black hair are left. She stands in front of us and smiles, her face flushed from all of the excitement.

"Hello, and welcome to Dauntless. My name is Lauren and this is Four. We are going to be your instructors as you undergo initiation. I am going to be in charge of all the Dauntless born, Four will be in charge of the rest of you. Right now you're going to split up with your instructors and learn just exactly what is going to be asked of you here at Dauntless.

"Dauntless born, follow me." Then she turns and walks away into the shadows. All the Dauntless born follow her and the rest of us are left with Tobias. I'm not gunna lie, he's extremely attractive but I'm too excited to think about that right now.

"This way." Is all Four says and we follow him into the Dauntless compound. After walking for a few minutes we come to a hall with door on either side. We pass a few of the doors and then Four stops outside of one of them.

"Everybody in here." We all file into a room that contains a table surrounded by chairs. We all take a seat and Four stands in front of us.

"Initiation is broken up into five steps and will take five months to complete. At any point in time if you feel initiation is too much, you may leave but you can not come back. At the end of each month you will be ranked by your skill. If you are in the bottom spot you will be asked to leave. Any questions? Good. The first month will consist of cardio, the second strength, the third hand to hand combat, the fourth accuracy with weapons, and the fifth fear simulations. At the end of the fifth month you will go through your fear landscape and find out if you truly get to be Dauntless or not. However, be aware that you are fighting to stay not only with the people here, but also with the Dauntless born. Any fighting outside of training will not be tolerated and you will have to answer to me. Understand? Now, take turns introducing yourselves."

We all stare at him open mouthed as we try to process everything that he just said. The first to recover is Christina so she stands and introduces herself first. One by one everyone goes and I learn the names of my fellow initiates. There's Will, a cute but kind of a nerdy boy, Al, a large boy who looks strong but nice, Edward and Myra who are apparently a couple, Charlie a red headed boy, Colby, Drew and Molly who also seem to be a couple, and lastly Peter, an attractive boy in a cocky kind of way. Lastly, I stand up and introduce myself then sit back down again. Four stares at me for a moment and then switches his gaze to everyone else.

"The first thing you need to learn here is that you are no longer in your old faction. So, we are all going down to the store and you will each be allowed to pick out three complete outfits. After this, you will have to buy your own outfits using the points you earn each week. Follow me."

We all follow Four out of the room and deeper into the compound. I can hear the sound of running water and the farther we go the louder it gets. Suddenly, the hallway opens up into a huge cavern filled with people and walkways. We walk through the cavern and then take some stairs downwards. At the bottom of the stairs is a huge store filled with black clothes and doors that lead to different parts of the store. We all begin searching through the clothes until we find everything we need. I've picked out one pair of shorts, a pair of spandex pants, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a tank top, a long sleeve, a package of socks, one pair of sneakers, a package of underwear, two sports bras, and one regular one. Before we leave the store we have to change out of our old clothes and into our new. So, I put on my new jeans and t-shirt. The clothes are extremely comfortable and I feel overwhelmingly happy. We all get together again and follow Four out of the store and back up the stairs. We walk down another hallway until we get to the end of it and then Four throws the door open and ushers us inside. There are beds, dressers, three bathrooms, and a table inside. Surprisingly it looks pretty comfy.

"Everyone choose a bed and get settled in. You have free time until dinner at six. Relax, make friends, and try not to somehow get hurt." We all choose our beds and I'm right next to Christina, Will, and Al. Before I can start getting comfortable I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and find myself looking up into Fours dark blue eyes again.

"I need to speak with you Tris." I nod confusedly and follow him out of the dorm room.


	12. Chapter 12

We walk down the hallway and then turn onto another one. A few doors down Four stops, opens the door, and nods that I should go inside. I walk in and see that it's a little apartment with a bed, kitchen, and bathroom. I turn around to demand what's going on when suddenly I'm completely trapped in Four's arms. He hold me tight and then picks me up and spins me.

"I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much! This has been the longest two years of my life!"

"What are you talking about Four?" I ask his chest. It came out pretty muffled so I'm not sure if he heard me or not. But he sets me down and takes a step back, wearing a huge grin on his face.

"Aw don't tell me you don't recognize me Tris." he says and I keep staring at him confusedly.

"Am I supposed to?" I ask slowly. His face falls into the cutest pout that reminds me of the way Tobias used to pout. Wait a second. The pout. The dark blue eyes. Why didn't I see it before?!

"Tobias." I whisper, and his face breaks into a giant grin again.

"The one and only." I can feel my heart beating against my chest and I feel as though I could burst from happiness.

"TOBIAS!" I throw myself into his arms and hold him tight, afraid that if I let go I'll lose him again. Tobias laughs and picks me up again, holding me tight and close to his chest. He's stronger and taller than I remember but it's still Tobias.  
We stay that way for a while then Tobias sets me back down on my own feet.

"Come here and tell me EVERYTHING that's happened to you the last two years." he says and goes over to the bed. He sits down and pats the spot next to him, just like he used to. I walk over and sit down, still trying to comprehend the fact that we're together again just like old times.

"These past two years have been lonely without you. I kind of withdrew myself from the rest of the world and just went through the motions of everyday until, well today I guess. Today is the first time I've felt alive since you left. What about you? Tell me about what you've been doing here."

"Well, I made it through initiation and am now an instructor and work in the computer room. That's basically it. I've been really lonely without you too. I feel as though I have to pretend to be someone else here. You're the only one I can be real with. I'm so glad you're here though, now we just have to make sure you stay. I'm not gunna lie, initiation isn't easy but I know you can do it."

"Do you really think so?" I ask.

"I do, you're stronger than you look." he says with a smile.  
"We should probably be getting you back to your dorm." he stands up and holds out a hand to help me up.

"You know I'm going to have to treat you like any other initiate right? No special treatment. So if I'm mean to you, please don't hate me, or slap me."

"Fine, I guess that makes sense. But what if I don't make it."

"Don't worry, you will. Now, back to the dorm with you and I'll see you at dinner ok?"

"Ok Tobias. Wait, can I call you Tobias or do I call you Four?"

"Four, but Tobias when we're alone. It's nice hearing my name again." he smiles and I'm lost in his blue eyes. I can't help but smile too.

"Ok, Tobias."


	13. Chapter 13

I manage to find my way back to the dorm without getting lost. I walk in and sit on my bed, fighting the smile that wants to take over my face. Christina comes over and sits on my bed with me.

"So Tris, I want to know your life story and I want to know it now." She smiles and gives me a look just daring me to refuse.

"Fine, but if I tell you mine you have to tell me yours."

"Deal."

"Alright. I grew up in Abnegation with my brother Caleb and my parents. Caleb and I were always close but he was kind of a bookworm. Today, he chose Erudite so I guess it makes sense why he was always reading. My parents were the nicest most unselfish people I ever knew and I loved them a lot. I feel bad for leaving them but I never really felt like I belonged in Abnegation. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as nice as the next guy when I want to be but it always took effort for me to be unselfish. Abnegation just didn't fit you know? I only ever had one really good friend and he left two years ago so I just had to get out. I wanted something new, something exciting, so today I chose I would be Dauntless."

"Wow. Where did your friend go? The one that left two years ago?"

"Uuuum..." I debate for a moment whether I should tell Christina or not and then I make up my mind.

"I don't know. I wasn't at the choosing ceremony when he left. He could be anywhere I guess." I pretend to shrug it off and focus instead on Christina.

"Now it's your turn. Spill the secrets of your soul!" I say dramatically which gets a giggle out of Christina.

"My life isn't that exciting sorry to say. I grew up in Candor with my little sister and my mom. My dad died when I was pretty young so I don't remember him much. I miss my little sister a lot. We used to spend a lot of time together which usually consisted of me playing with her hair and putting make up on her. I left Candor because I was tired of always telling the truth. During initiation at Candor they give you a truth serum and basically make you spill your guts in front of everyone. I may be blunt but I have my personal things I want to keep to myself. I decided Dauntless would be the best place for me to be myself and so here I am! Now I just need to get out of the habit of saying everything that comes to mind. Will you help me with that by telling me when to shut up?" I laugh at the absurdity of it but I nod anyways.

"It would be my pleasure." I say with a smile and Christina playfully punches me in the arm causing me to laugh.

"So. Now that we are best friends, it's time for some girl talk." Christina says with a mischievous look in her eye. Well that escalated quickly.

"What is girl talk?" I ask her, a little worried about what the answer might be.

"Oh, it's basically when we talk about boys. Right now we are going to determine the attractiveness of the guys here based on a scale of one to ten. It's just a fun thing I like to do sometimes. So, let's get started. Hmm what do you think of Will?"

"Well, I guess he's kind of cute in a nerdy kind of way." Christina looks at him for a moment and then smiles.

"Hmm, let's call him an eight cuz I love his dark curls and green eyes." I must have given her a funny look because she clears her throat and then moves on.

"Next is Al. He's well built but kind of makes me think of a giant teddy bear. What do you think?"

"He seems nice and he's ok looking. Let's call him a six."

"Alright now Peter." She kind of makes a face and I remember that they were both from Candor. I wonder if he may have some personality issues.

"He's attractive in a cocky kind of way. I don't think I'd ever date him."

"Yeah me either, let's call him a six."

"Alright now Edward." I say.

"Edward is pretty average looking so, a five I guess?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Now let's do Charlie and Colby. Neither of them are anything special so let's call them fours."

"Ok, lastly Drew."

"When I look at him I immediately think of an ape." I say with a giggle. Christina glances over at him and giggles too.

"I can totally see that!" She says laughing.

"Alright let's call him a three. Is that all of them?" I ask.

"Ooh we need to rate Four too!" Christina says excitedly as she bounces up and down on my bed.

"Can I just say he is like the hottest guy I have ever seen. Like the body with the face and the eyes." She sighs and I can't help but nod my head in agreement.

"He's the most attractive guy I've ever met." and I mean it, I've always known Tobias was attractive. I just never knew anyone else had noticed too.

Just then the door to the dorm opens and there stands Tobias looking as hot as ever in a black t-shirt that shows off his abs and arm muscles. Christina and I look at him, look at each other, and then burst out laughing. Tobias clears his throat and with a lot of self restraint we pull it together. My face is red and Tobias is glaring at me but I can see the question in his eyes and the smile he's fighting back. He clears his throat again and then switches his gaze to the rest of the initiates.

"It's time for dinner." He says in his clear, carrying voice.

"Follow me." He turns around without another word and starts walking down the hallway. We all scramble to follow after him and Christina and I make eye contact again and have to fight back the urge to laugh. Christina links her arm with mine and I can't help but think I'll like it here, especially with people like Christina around.


	14. Chapter 14

We all follow Tobias into a huge hole in part of the wall of the cavern. It opens up into a large dining hall filled with Dauntless eating. When we walk in all the Dauntless stand and cheer for us again. It feels nice to be so wanted and I can't help but smile. I feel like I should raise my hand and wave but I resist the urge. I don't want to seem too cocky the first day.

"Sit where you want." Tobias says and immediately our little group splits up. Soon the only ones left standing together are Christina, Will, Al, Tobias, and I. Christina looks around and then points to an empty table towards the back of the room.

"Let's sit over there." she says and grabs my wrist to drags me over to the table. We all sit down and I end up between Christina and Tobias. For the first time I look and notice that the food is already in the middle of the table. It's nothing I've ever seen before and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I take one because I have to eat something and examine it over thoroughly. Tobias must have noticed my uneasiness because I could see him fighting back a smile.

"It's called a hamburger. The stuff in the middle is beef which is a type of meat. You put this on it to make it taste really good." He hands me a jar of something red and motions toward the 'hamburger' on my plate.

"Go ahead, try it. I promise you'll like it." he says with a smile.

"Wait wait wait wait wait. Are you telling me. You have never had a hamburger before?" Christina asks in disbelief.

"I've never had any type of meat before. In Abnegation you only eat plain foods which basically consist of bread, cheese, eggs, fruits, and vegetables." I say shrugging. It had never occurred to me that I may be missing something food wise.

"That's awful. I would have left there too if they didn't feed me good food." I laugh at Christina's reaction but I then turn my attention back to the hamburger. I look at Tobias and see he's still waiting for me to put the red stuff on the hamburger.

"Do you promise I'll like it?" I ask and scrunch up my face in pretend distaste.

"I promise, just don't put on too much ketchup."

"Um, what's ketchup?" I ask, confused all over again. Tobias laughs and picks up the jar of red stuff again.

"This is ketchup. Here let me help you." He pulls my plate closer to him and takes off the top piece of bread. Slowly and carefully he dumbs just enough ketchup on the meat to cover it and then puts the bread back on top.

"Here you go. Now just try it." I pick up the hamburger again and figure it's better now than never. Slowly, I lean forward and take a bite. It's not like anything I've ever eaten before so I chew slowly trying to decide what I think of it. Finally I swallow and notice both Christina and Tobias are watching me, waiting for my reaction.

"Well?" Christina demands.

"Its definitely different. But I think I like it." I say with a smile, earning a grin from Tobias and a smile from Christina.

By the end of dinner I've eaten two hamburgers and tried something called soda. It's sweet and bubbly and tickles my nose. Tobias got up at one point and came back with something called cake. It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my life and I don't think I could ever eat enough of it. Finally when we are all filled to bursting Tobias gathers us all back together to bring us back to the dorm. I keep yawning and my eye lids are heavy as we walk back. When we get to the door of the dorm Tobias turns and stands before us.

"Tomorrow your first part of initiation begins. I suggest you all get as much rest as possible tonight because you're going to need the energy for tomorrow. So for now goodnight and I'll see you all when I come to get you up at six." He opens the door to the dorm and takes a step back so we can all file through. I am the last to head inside and Tobias grabs my wrist before I go through the door. I look up into those blue eyes I've been missing for so long and smile because he's here now and so am I.

"Goodnight Tris. I'm glad you're here." He says with a smile. He let's go of my wrist and turns and walks away. I watch his retreating back until he's gone and then I head inside. I take a quick shower and put on my new tank top and shorts to sleep in. I make sure I brush my teeth and braid my hair before making my way over to my bed. I am so emotionally drained by today that I practically fall into my bed. I snuggle under the blankets and sink into the warm and comfy bed. I close my eyes and fall asleep with a smile on my face, thinking about Tobias.


	15. Chapter 15

"Rise and shine initiates!" I hear a voice come to me through my dreams. It kind of sounds like Tobias. I smile at the thought and roll onto my side, eager to go back to the world of dreams.

"Tris! Get up!" My eyes fly open and I remember where I am. I quickly sit up and see Tobias glaring at me from the doorway so I get out of my bed as soon as I can. When I do I remember that all I have on is my shorts and tank top. My cheeks blush crimson when I realize how little I have on. I just catch Tobias's smile before he turns and orders Drew to get up faster. Finally we are all awake and standing by our beds, the majority of us trying to stifle yawns.

"I'll be back in a half hour to bring you all to breakfast so be ready. Oh and it's rather chilly outside so plan accordingly." Tobias looks us all over, nods and then walks out of the door, leaving us all to scramble around to get ready. I take a quick five minute shower and then put on my spandex pants and t-shirt. Christina has just finished putting my hair up in a high pony tail when Tobias walks into the dorm again.

"Come on." Is all he says before he turns and walks away again. We all scramble after him and walk into the dining hall. There aren't many Dauntless around and none of them acknowledge our existence. Once again our group splits up to different tables and I end up sitting next to Christina. This time however, Tobias doesn't sit with us and instead goes over to a table with a bunch of Dauntless that look to be about his age. I'm guessing they must be his Dauntless friends and I wonder if I will ever get to meet them.

"Tris what do want to eat?" I realize Christina is talking to me and I turn my attention to the food in front of me. I'm delighted to see the majority of it is stuff I used to eat at Abnegation. There are eggs, toast, muffins, and something I've never seen before. I poke at it tentatively and Christina sighs in exasperation.

"Ok Tris. This is called bacon. It's meat and probably the most delicious stuff in the world. Now, eat it." I decide its best to just do as she says so I get a couple pieces and add them to my plate. Then I quickly make a breakfast sandwich with the toast, eggs, and bacon. I take one bite and it is the most delicious breakfast I've ever had in my life. I inhale the whole sandwich and a muffin and then wash it all down with a cup of milk. For the rest of breakfast I sit sipping on water and talking to Will, Al, and Christina. Al is nice but quiet and Will is just hilarious. He was from Erudite and says the funniest most random things. He and Christina seem to hit it off ok but spend most of the time teasing each other. It kind of an odd way to communicate but at least it's entertaining to me.

After a while Tobias gets up and gathers us all together again. He takes off and we follow behind him through the compound. Somehow we end up outside next to the railroad tracks and Tobias stops beside them.

"Stretch while you can. We're going to run out two miles and then back. Make sure you do not fall behind." He gives us about five minutes to stretch and then makes us all stand in a line.

"Ready. Go." We all surge forward but gradually people start to fall a few steps behind. Tobias, Christina, and I lead the group at a pretty good pace. I've never really run before but I kind of like it. By the time we turn around and head back I'm starting to get tired. I push the discomfort out of my mind and keep going, making sure I'm always right next to Christina. Her legs are longer than mine so I have to work harder to keep up the speed but finally we get back to where we started. Christina is taking huge heaving breaths and can't seem to steady her breathing. I try breathing slowly through my nose but it makes me feel like I can't breath. Suddenly someone's hands are on my wrists and my hands are put on top of my head. I turn and Tobias stands behind me.

"Put your hands on top of your head and take deep steady breaths. It will help slow down your breathing. Keep walking so your legs don't cramp up." I do as he says and before long I feel pretty good but I could really use a drink of water.

"Alright get in a line again and we're going to do five sprints. And go."

It turns out I'm a really good sprinter. Surprise! I never thought I'd be good at anything but I'm even better than Christina. After the five sprints are done we all stand there pretty tired and ready for lunch.

"Everyone in a line again. When I say go, you're all going to sprint to me as fast as you can. If you finish first, you're done for now and can head to lunch. If you aren't first you have to sprint again until you are first. Got it? Good. Ready, go."

I easily won the first sprint and Christina won the second one. Soon everyone was done except for Drew and Molly. On the last sprint Molly managed to barely beat Drew. Tobias wrote something down on a clipboard he had which probably means this wasn't a good start for Drew. But at least we were all done now.

"Alright, you can all head to lunch now but after lunch we are going to be doing this all again so watch what you eat. Also, drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Now, go to lunch." We all head back inside to the dining hall dreading what was to come after lunch.


	16. Chapter 16

The next day was torture. I have never been in so much pain in my life. Every muscle in my body ached and every movement felt as if I was being stabbed by hundreds of needles all at once. My only consultation was that everyone else was in just as much pain as I was. When Tobias came to wake us up the next morning he laughed at our attempts to get out of bed. Even so we got no empathy from Tobias and had to continue with training. The first week we ran four miles before and after lunch plus sprints. The second week we ran six miles before and after lunch plus the sprints. I was still the best at sprints but in distance Will, Edward, and Peter caught up with me. Each week for the next two weeks Tobias continued adding two miles before and after lunch plus sprints. By the end of the month I was consistently in the middle of the group and pretty positive I was safe for the first cut off.

The morning of the last day of the month we were allowed to sleep in and rest. After we got back from lunch, Tobias brought us back to that room we had gone in on the first day. On the back wall was a chalk board covered with paper and Tobias stood in front of it.

"You've all done relatively well this last month but unfortunately one of you has to go." Tobias turned and pulled the paper off of the chalk board. I held my breath as I quickly read through the list of names and then let out a sigh of relief. I was safe, at least for now.

Christina  
Will  
Peter  
Edward  
Tris  
Myra  
Colby  
Charlie  
Al  
Molly  
Drew

Tobias doesn't move as his eyes sweep over all of us and then land on Drew.

"This is your lucky day Drew." Tobias says with no emotion in his voice. One of the Dauntless born was an even worse runner than you so he was made faction less. So, for now you are allowed to stay but I suggest you try a little harder during step two.

Step two was supposed to be strength training. Thanks for the last four years of push ups and sit ups, I was the strongest girl besides Molly. The majority of the boys however were already stronger than I would ever be. The weeks went by quickly and soon it was the end of the month. Tobias once again gathered us together in the room and showed us the rankings. This time, Charlie was at the bottom of the list and sent away. I felt bad for him but I was relieved to be moving on to the next step.

The last time I had attempted hand to hand combat was when Tobias and I used to practice. Then again, I'm not really sure if that even counts. The first day of step three Tobias woke us up at six thirty as usual and we all went to breakfast. After breakfast we followed Tobias to a place we had never been before. Punching bags hung from the ceiling and other areas of the room were specified for other things. Tobias lined each of us up in front of a punching bag and then began to teach us simple punches and kicks. We continued practicing as Tobias walked around and watched, giving advice where needed. No matter how hard I punched or kicked the stupid bag it didn't seem to move at all. I was starting to get frustrated and stopped paying attention to my technique. Suddenly Tobias was behind me;

"Whoa Tris, just stop." I stop what I'm doing and just stand there tired and breathing heavy.

"Move carefully and intentionally so you get more power behind your punches and kicks. Make sure you're balanced on your feet so you don't fall over." He leans closer and moves one arm to my front, placing one of his hands on my abs. The touch of his hand sends warm tingly feelings shooting through my body. It's interesting because that's never happened before when we've touched.

"Keep your core strong and it will make everything easier ok?" I nod my head and he walks away. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until I let it all out at once. I shake my head to clear it and then focus on the task at hand. Keeping everything Tobias said to me in my mind I went back to practicing. By the end of the day I was able to get the punching back swinging pretty good and I was glad with my improvement. The only problem was my hands were killing me and I didn't know what to do about it. I went over to Tobias and tried to be really nonchalant.

"So ah, Four. If my hands were say, hurting. What would I need to do to make them feel better?" I look up at Tobias and could see he was making the face he makes when he's trying not to laugh at me. I glare at him and he has to turn away so he won't laugh. He clears his throat and then turn towards everyone else.

"Listen up! If your hands are hurting you, soak them in hot water. If you have any cuts on your hands, add salt to the water. You guys can all head to dinner now, after that I suggest you get some rest for tomorrow." Everyone turns to leave, and all of them are cradling their hands.

"Tris, I need to talk to you." Tobias says. I turn around and walk back to him and he waits for everyone to leave before turning towards me.

**Thank you all so much for your support so far! It more than I ever could havE hoped for. If you like the story please keep reviewing and let me know any ideas you might have. You guys are awesome :) -KEB**


	17. Chapter 17

"I did really bad today didn't I?" I ask him bluntly, my body filled with dread. I can't go home, not after finding Tobias again.

"You didn't do 'really bad', I just know you can do better. You're fast and relatively strong so you could potentially do semi good this month. But, this is full on fighting and I don't want to watch you get hurt." He's looking into my eyes and I can see the concern in his face.

"Hey, I'll be alright. I'm a big girl now remember?" I say with a laugh. Tobias lifts one hand to my cheek and smiles too.

"I know you are, I just can't help but be protective of you. I care about you Tris." I can feel my heart start to beat faster and I can't help but wonder why. Then it hits me, I care about Tobias too. I'm not sure in what way yet and then again I don't really know in which way he cares about me. Ugh why does this have to be complicated?

"Well, what should I do then?" I ask him. I'll do anything to make sure I can stay here with him.

"Learn how your body moves and works and then use that to your advantage. You're more on the smaller side compared to the other initiates so using your elbows and knees may be a good idea. You've got this Tris, I know you do."

He's still looking into my eyes and I realize I'm lost in his too. I suddenly feel the impulse to throw my arms around him. Without really thinking, I do it and I feel that warm tingly feeling again as he wraps his arms around me. It feels right hugging him and I have to remind myself that I need to head to dinner.

"Thanks for everything Tobias." I whisper in his ear. Then I give him a quick peck on the cheek and make my escape to the door. Before I leave I turn around and wave.

"See ya later Tobias." I see him smile and wave back.

"See ya Tris."

I walk to the dining hall and find Christina with our usual group. I sit down and dig into some spaghetti and meatballs, another new food I've had to get used here but now it's my favorite.

"What did Four want?" Christina asks me while taking a huge bite of bread.

"Uuuuuuuum..." I try to think fast and then decide to go with the first thing that pops into my head.

"He told me to stop asking so many questions." I lied quickly, hoping Christina wouldn't notice. Luckily she wasn't really paying much attention to me anymore and seemed more absorbed in teasing Will about something. For the rest of dinner I was absorbed in my own thoughts suddenly Christina punched me in the arm.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.  
"What was that for!?"

"I was talking to you! Spacey much?" She asks with a smile.

"I was just thinking about stuff." I say.

"Well we," she motions to herself, Will, and Al,  
"want to go and get some tattoos and I may even get my ears pierced. Did you want to come? Now that we're getting even closer to being in Dauntless we should probably start to look the part."

"Sure I guess I'll come but I'm not getting my ears pierced until after we finish this level. I don't want anything getting ripped out of my ears." Christina glares at me for a moment.

"I hadn't thought about that. I guess I'm not getting my ears pieced today. Tris you ruin everything!" She says jokingly and playfully hits me in the arm again. I throw my hands up in surrender and pretend to shrink away from her.

"I'm sorry for thinking things through! Please don't hurt me!" We both start laughing and then get up to head to the tattoo parlor.

**Hey guys I need some opinions about future things in this story. Should Tris be attacked like she is in the book? If so, who should she be attacked by? Let me know whatcha think! Thanx guys! :) -KEB**


	18. Chapter 18

I follow Christina out of the dinning hall and down to where all the shops and amusements are. Christina stops in front off a small building that has TATTOOS & PIERCINGS in bright neon lights above the door.

"I'M SO EXCITED!" Christina squeals while jumping up and down. I can't help but smile at her, her energy is very contagious.

"Come on!" She grabs my hand and drags me into the store we both stop just inside the door and gawk at the walls around us. Every inch of wall is filled with tattoo designs and different types of rings for piercings.

"Woah." Is the only thing I manage to say as I try to process everything I'm seeing.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Christina calls.

"Be right there!" A voice calls back. Christina and I look at each other and I just shrug my shoulders. The boys had come in right behind us and were now looking along the walls of designs trying to decide what to get. Christina and I join them and a design of three ravens flying catches my eye.

"Hi! I'm Tori, what can I do ya for?" My eyes widen and I spin around to see who had spoken. Sure enough it was who I thought it was. Tori was the one who had given me my aptitude test and told me I was Divergent. She must recognize me too because she gives me a quick look that tells me I shouldn't say anything.

"Hi! I'm Christina and this is Tris, Will, and Al. We've all come to get our first tattoos!" It's ridiculous how excited she is for this.

"Well good for you guys! Just tell me what you want and decide who's going first and then we'll go from there." Tori says with a smile. Christina turns to toward the rest of us.

"Anyone know what you want yet?" Both the boys shake their heads. Figures. I sigh and then turn to Tori.

"I'll go first, I know what I want."

"So what will it be?" I point to the design of the three ravens.

"This one please. Right here." I point below my collarbone and towards the middle of my chest.

"Flying towards my heart please." I've decided that even if I've left my family behind, I will not forget them and I always want them close to my heart.

"Sure thing. Just sit right here and we'll be done before you know it." I sit on a chair that kind of allowed me to lean back and gritted my teeth as Tori does my tattoo. It hurts more than I thought it would but I refuse to show any pain. Instead I clench my teeth and grip onto the arms of the chair.

"Well you're all finished!" Tori says. She hands me a mirror and I look at my new tattoo. It looks really good and I'm impressed. Maybe I'll have to get a few more of these.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Christina squeals so I get up and show her.

"That looks so good! I want to go next!" She's practically bubbling over with excitement.  
"What are you getting?" I ask her.

"Flames around my wrist." She says with huge smile. She sits down and gets her tattoo only groaning here and there in pain. After she goes Al goes and then Will. Al gets the design of Dauntless on his entire back and I have to admit, that guy is committed. Will being the Erudite born he is, went with words instead. On his back, from one shoulder to the other he had the words WE BELIEVE in bravery and courage. This was a shortened version of part of the Dauntless Manifesto that he had apparently memorized when he was ten.

When Will's tattoo was finished we thanked Tori and left, not really knowing where to go now.

"Tris!" Christina suddenly exclaimed and grabbed my hands. Oh no, I know where this is going, she wants to go shopping now.

"We need to go get you a shirt that will show off your new tattoo!"

"Do we have to?" I ask in my whiny voice.

"Yes we do!" She turns to the boys and dismisses them with a wave of her hand.

"You guys can leave if you want to." Will and Al look at each other, grin, and then take off back toward the dormitory.

"Good luck Tris!" Will calls back to me with a wave.

"Yeah! You're gunna need it!" Al laughs.

"Idiots." I say under my breath as they disappear and Christina drags me into the nearest clothes store.

About an hour later we finally leave the store, now laden down with bags of clothes. Somehow Christina managed to convince me to buy two new low cut tops, and tight black dress, and tall leather boots.

"Come on!" She says,

"I feel like giving you a make over!" I groan as she grabs my hand again and drags me back toward the dorm.


	19. Chapter 19

After over an hour of what I consider to be 'cruel and unusual punishment', Christina finally deems me acceptable to be seen out on public. She pulls me over to one of the mirrors in the bathroom and squeals in excitement.

"Tris! You look amazing! Like, drop dead gorgeous amazing!" Skeptically, I look over my reflection and am surprised by what I see. My blonde hair is longer than ever and cascading over my shoulders in soft waves, framing my face. Thanks to Christina's skillful use of makeup, my eyes look brighter and more striking gray. My lips look soft and kissable (although I really don't plan on kissing anytime soon), and all in all I might look semi attractive. Maybe.

Before I manage to leave, Christina forces me into my new dress and boots and then makes me look in the mirror again. Once more I am surprised by what I see. Thanks to the Dauntless training and meaty diet, I now have curves. Not only that, but my chest is no longer flat either. For the first time in my life, I finally look my age. I turn around and hug Christina tight.

"Thank you Christina, you've done wonders." I tell her.

"Do you really like it?" She asks with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes I like it, but don't expect this to happen often alright." She nods while while giving me a mischievous smile and I'm pretty sure my statement is going to be ignored. Suddenly Christina grabs my wrist and hauls me toward the door of the dorm.

"Enough talking. You look amazing so go out there and find a guy." Before I can comment she pushes me out the door and slams it in my face. I sigh and then look around before I begin aimlessly wandering around the compound. I think about what would happen if I was to run in to Tobias and how he would like my makeover. I mentally scold myself and continue walking. Suddenly I hear a wolf whistle behind me and I stop dead in my tracks. I groan and then turn around to see who my 'admirer' is. It's Peter?

"Dang Tris, you look good." He says while slowly looking me from top to bottom.

"Um. Thanks Peter for the uh, compliment." I say kind of awkwardly.

"You're welcome. You know Tris, you didn't have to do this for me." He says with a sly smile. Ok, now I'm really confused.

"Um, do what?"

"Get all dressed up like this so I would notice you. I've already noticed you and I know you've already noticed me." He takes a few steps forward, closing the gap between us.

"Oh um well Christina did this to me just because so... yeah.." I try to take a few step backwards away from him nonchalantly but he just follows me, getting closer and closer.

"You don't have to pretend Tris, it's ok to tell me how you really feel." He steps even closer and now my back is against the wall. I have no where to run and Peter pushes closer.

"Come on Tris, just one little kiss." I'm starting to panic a little inside. Don't get me wrong, Peter is very attractive but I just don't think of him that way and I really don't want to kiss him.

Peter has just started leaning in to kiss me when I hear a noise behind him.

"Ahem." Tobias says loudly.

Thank you guys so much for the 50+ reviews! I love hearing from you guys and reading your thoughts and ideas! You are all awesome! -KEB


	20. Chapter 20

Peter's green eyes widened and he spun around to face Tobias. Tobias was standing with his arms crossed, giving Peter the darkest glare I've ever seen. Peter backed up a few steps until his back was against the wall and just stared at Tobias.

"What exactly is going on here?" Tobias asked in a low threatening tone.

"I ah, we ah, I mean we um. Nothing." He finally says, going with the safest answer. Tobias raises one eyebrow and continues looking at Peter.

"Well good. Then I suggest you do 'nothing' somewhere else." For a moment I think Peter is going to tell Tobias off but then he looks at me and I shake my head no just a teeny bit. He must have understood because he gives me a quick nod, glares at Tobias, and then starts down the hallway looking dejected. I feel kinda bad for the kid, he may be cocky and I really did not want to kiss him but I think I would still like to be his friend. With Peter now gone, Tobias turned on me.

"What was that!? Are you and him a 'thing' now!?" He sounded upset, maybe because he was jealous? I feel a flutter of hope in my chest and decide to try and manipulate this conversation to get the information I want.

"No, we're not a thing yet. But he did just try to kiss me so who knows what will happen." I say offhandedly. Tobias's eyes get wider and his face is starting to get red.

"He tried to kiss you!? Did you want him to?" I can tell Tobias is trying very hard to keep himself under control and it's kind of amusing. I think he actually may be jealous.

"No I didn't want to kiss him. His big head just kind of assumed I wanted to." I shrug it off like its nothing.

"I blame Christina's makeovers. Hey! Can I maybe hide out in your apartment for a while? I don't really want another encounter with Peter at the moment." Now that it's been established that I didn't want to kiss Peter, Tobias has relaxed quite a bit.

"Um sure. I guess you can hang out for a while. Come on." I follow Tobias down some hallways and into his apartment. It seriously looks exactly the same as the first time I had seen it, all those months ago. Wow where did the time go?

I decide to make myself at home and hop onto one of the chairs by the counter. Tobias sits across from me and we sit in companionable silence for a while until I realize Tobias isn't looking me in the eye like he usually does. Instead his gaze is lower and I think he has noticed my new tattoos but no, he's looking lower.

"Whatcha lookin at?" I ask suddenly, making him jump. His face turns beat red in embarrassment and he tries to give an explanation.

"I I uh, um. What I mean is uh. Nice tattoos." He says weakly. He's so unsettled that I can't help but laugh.

"You know, you're kinda cute when you're all flustered." Now it was my turn for my face to turn beat red. I could believe I just said that! Tobias raises on eyebrow and gives me a little half smile. My heart flutters and I feel like I could melt right here and now.

"Well how can I be expected to not get flustered when you're looking all attractive and stuff dressed like that?" He says and leans closer to me across the counter.

"You think I'm cute?" He asks with a smile.

"You think I'm attractive?" I shoot right back and lean forward as well. Our noses are only a few inches apart and I can clearly see every detail of his dark blue eyes.

"Yeah. Whatcha gunna do about it?" He whispers. Without really thinking I lean forward the rest of the way and kiss him on the lips quickly. He looks completely stunned and all I do is smile at the shocked look on his face.

"Well you asked!" I say in my defense. I can't help but wonder what's going to happen now. Did I just ruin our friendship? Is he going to kick me out? Does he want me to kiss him again? All these thoughts are running through my head and more. Meanwhile he still hasn't spoken or moved and I prepare to be kicked out. All of a sudden his face breaks out into a huge grin and his eyes become even darker and more intense. Before I can react he places a hand on each side of my face and looks me dead in the eye.

"That wasn't fair." He says.

"Um what wasn't fair?" I ask thoroughly confused.

"I was supposed to kiss you first."

"Oooh... I'm sorry." I say still kind of confused.

"Well you see now I have to REALLY kiss you." He says with a smile. Wait. What does that even mean?! Before I can ask Tobias leans forward and I close my eyes automatically. I feel his lips in mine, gentle and soft, and I can't help but sigh. Tobias smiles against my lips and then presses his lips to mine again. He presses closer and I feel his tongue gently glide along my bottom lip. I part my lips in surprise and Tobias presses even closer. So this is what really kissing is. He swipes his tongue over my lips for a little while longer and then pulls back.

Immediately I want his lips on mine again but I decide to let him do as he pleases. Tobias has a huge smile on his face and I feel as though I'm floating on a cloud. He leans forward again but this time his lips go to my ear.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for." He whispers in my ear, tickling it.

"Oh really? How long has it been exactly?" I whisper back.

"Since I was fourteen." He whispers. I gasp and pull back to look him in the eye.

"All this time and you didn't say anything? TOBIAS!" I exclaim and punch him in the arm before throwing my arms around him. I feel so happy that I could explode. All this time and I never knew. Good grief.

"Ow! Abusive!" Tobias says and pretends like I hurt him.

"You deserve it! Hiding such things from me!" I laugh from giddiness and Tobias smiles. Suddenly his face becomes more stern and the smile fades away.

"There's just one problem." He says and I feel my stomach drop like a stone.

"We can't be together."

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! I love reading your thoughts and ideas! -KEB**


	21. Chapter 21

I stare at him in shock as a cold numbing feeling spreads through my body. What is he saying? What does that mean? Why am I not breathing?! I slowly let out the breath I had been holding and force myself to stay calm. He'll explain to me, he always does.

"What I mean is we can't be together right now." He says in a rush.

"I can't take the chance of anyone finding out about us. They'll say that I favored you and then kick you out of Dauntless. I can't lose you after I just got you back." He looks in my eyes intently, willing me to understand. And I do understand, but that doesn't mean that I'm not still disappointed and hurt.

"So does that mean if I do get into Dauntless, then we can be together?" I ask tentatively.

"WHEN you get into Dauntless we'll be together. I promise." I feel the hope begin to bloom inside my chest again until a thought chills me to the bone.

"But what if I don't get into Dauntless? What if I become Factionless?" I look away from his eyes and stare at my hands clasp in my lap. Tobias covers my hands with his own and then lifts my chin up so I have to look him in the eye.

"If you leave, then I leave too. You're the most important thing to me and I'm not going to lose you right after I just got you back. Besides, don't worry. You have this. Just concentrate. You're stronger than them, you just have to figure out how to use your strengths." His faith in me ignites a fire that I didn't have before. I can do this. For him, for us. I WILL be Dauntless. I throw my arms around Tobias and hold him close.

"Thank you Tobias, for everything." I say. We sit there hugging for what seems like a long time but who know how long it really was. Finally I break up the hug and stand up, nervously pulling down on the bottom of my dress.

"So I guess I'll see you at training tomorrow. More fighting, yay." I say with a rather pathetic laugh. Why do I feel so awkward now? Tobias must have noticed my uneasiness because he raises one eyebrow the way he does. I'm really kind of starting to love it when he does that. He stands up and takes a step towards me.

"Hey now, you can't leave before I get a goodnight kiss." He says with a smile.

"I thought you said we couldn't be together right now?" I ask kind of confused. Again.

"Just because we aren't together doesn't mean I can't steal a kiss from you now and then." He says with a mischievous smile. I can't help but smile back, and my stomach tightens in anticipation of his kiss. Oh so slowly he moves closer to me and tilts my face up just a little bit. I close my eyes as his wonderfully soft lips touch mine. It's a short, sweet, simple kiss and I love everything about it. Too soon he pulls away and I know I should be leaving. I walk to the door and see the same look of longing on Tobias's face that is on mine. Before I can change my mind, I slip out the door and take a moment to calm my nerves. After a few deep breaths, I head back to the dorm knowing Christina will be there waiting for me.

As soon as I walk through the door of the dorm, Christina grabs ahold of my hand and drags me over to my bed.

"Where have you been!?" She asks excitedly.

"Just wandering around. Peter tried to kiss me. I'm not sure if I really like these makeovers you give me."

"PETER TRIED TO KISS YOU?!" She exclaims, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes, and I blame it all on you." I say matter of factly. She shrugs it off and then begins to tell me all about what she and Will had been up to while I was gone. It was nothing really interesting but she sounded excited about it. I have the distinct feeling that something is going on between those two besides friendly companionship.

Finally once Christina has finished talking I get up and change out of the dress and boots. Once I have a more comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt on, I lay on my bed daydreaming about Tobias. Suddenly Christina is in my face and snapping her fingers, telling me to hurry up do we could go to dinner. Reluctantly I get up and slide on a pair of shoes. Mentally I sigh. It's going to be a long final couple of months if I always have Tobias on my mind. But then again, I wouldn't want to be thinking about anyone else.


	22. Chapter 22

"I love you Tris." Tobias says while looking deeply into my eyes.

"I love you too Tobias." I say with a smile. He places a hand behind my head and tilts his face to kiss me at a better angle. Our lips are just about to touch and I feel the excitement throughout my body. Suddenly there's a loud bang but I ignore it. I haven't kissed Tobias all week and nothing is stopping me now.

"Hurry up and get ready." I hear a gruff and authoritative voice command. I feel like I should obey the voice but it sounds like it's coming from far away so I ignore it.

"Tris. I said get up. Now." My eyes fly open and all I can see is a pair of black jeans in front of me. I slowly look up and up until I can see Tobias's face towering above me. I feel my face grow hot as I try to untangle myself from the blankets as quickly as possible. Finally I am able to stand up and I meet Tobias's gaze with my own. His face is hard, an unreadable mask, but his eyes are dancing with amusement at my blunderings.

"Get ready." He says in his instructor voice. Then he turns around and stands in front of the door to the dorm.

"For the rest of this part of training you will be fighting each other on one day then the next working on more moves and such things. Be prepared, this is where things become more difficult." Tobias turns and walks out of the dorm, slamming the door behind. No one speaks and we all get ready for breakfast in silence. I was hungry before but now my stomach is twisted into a knot and my throat is dry and constricted. Suddenly, everything has become more real.

"On the board, I have written out the fights for today. The partners were all chosen randomly out of a bowl." We are now standing in a new area of the training room in front of a large mat on the floor. Tobias has just started explaining how the fights go and I am getting more nervous by the second.

"When it is your turn" Suddenly the door to the training room opens and a man I have never seen before stalks in. The way he walks makes it look like he's hunting for something, or someone to attack. Immediately he gives me the creeps. I look over at Tobias and see that his face is expressionless and dark. Whoever this guy is, Tobias apparently doesn't like him. So naturally, I immediately don't like him either. Tobias turns back to the group of us, intent on ignoring the new arrival.

"When it is your turn," He starts again, "You will fight until one of you is no longer able to continue or if one concedes."

"There will be no conceding." The mysterious man growls. We all turn to look at him and I see Tobias make a conscious effort to stay calm and keep his face blank.

"Eric, the rules say that they can forfeit. It is brave to acknowledge another man's strength." Tobias says in a low tone.

"It is cowardly to give up. And I, a Dauntless leader, have changed the rules. So, no conceding." Eric stands there glowering at Tobias, waiting for him to argue or challenge his authority. Tobias just stands there stoic for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and walking over to the covered up board.

"This is who you'll be fighting. First two get ready." He uncovers the board and then takes a step back.

Will and Al

Christina and Myra

Peter and Drew

Edward and Tris

Colby and Molly

My breath catches in my lungs and I feel like I'm suffocating. Edward? Out of everybody it had to be Edward? I'm so overcome with panic that I barely realize when Will and Al take their places on the mat.

"Begin." Tobias says. Will and Al circle each other a few times before suddenly Will lunges at Al. Al is taken by surprise and Will gets a good punch to Al's jaw. Al's eyes narrow and when Will comes in for another punch Al grabs his arm, twist it around to Will's back and then throws him on the mat. Will scrambles up and gets a punch at Al's ribs. Finally Al has had enough and takes one swing at Will, connecting with the side of his head. After Will falls to the ground he doesn't get up and Al is announced winner. Al immediately kneels down beside Will and shakes him a bit. When Will groans, Tobias comes over and helps Al support Will to the infirmary. Those two will be friends to the end, even if they do have to beat beat each other up.

When Tobias returns Christina and Myra take to the mat. Their fight isn't as interesting. It consists of mostly pushing and weak punches to the gut. That is until Myra throws a punch at Christina's face connecting with her nose. It immediately starts to gush blood and I can tell Christina is mad. Nobody messes with her pretty face. She throws herself at Myra, tackling her to the mat. After two punches Myra is out cold and Christina announced as winner. Christina and Tobias take her to the infirmary while Edward looks on worriedly.

Next up is Peter and Drew. I thought these two were friends but if they are they don't act like it now. Neither if them hold anything back and just pound on each other. Punch after punch is thrown until Peter loses his footing and falls to the mat. Drew then begins to kick him in the ribs until Peter manages to grab his foot and pull him forward. Drew is taken off guard and is pulled just close enough that Peter is able to kick him in the head. Drew falls to the mat unconscious and Peter is the winner. Tobias supports Drew as they walk to the infirmary and Peter trails behind not seeming to care about Drew at all.

As soon as they leave I realize that I'm fighting next. Against Edward. A guy who is twice as large and twice as strong as me. I can't breathe and I'm in a panic. Maybe I don't belong in Dauntless because at this moment, I'm terrified.

Tobias walks back into the room and gestures for Edward and I to take to the mat. I look at him and I wonder if he can see the fear in my eyes. For just a moment, Tobias's eyes soften and he gives me what I think is a nod of encouragement. I take a deep breath and try to remember all the things I had ever learned from Tobias.

"Start." Tobias says and I try to prepare myself for what's coming.


	23. Chapter 23

Almost immediately Edward takes a swing at my head but I manage to duck it. As I do so I manage to punch him in the diaphragm but it doesn't even faze him. He punches me in the gut hard and knocks the air out of me. I take a few steps back and try to catch my breath but he just keeps following me. I straighten up and try to punch Edward in the face but he grabs my fist and spins me around with his arms trapping me so I can't escape. My instincts take over and I elbow him in the stomach and then stomp on his foot. Next I throw up my fist and hear a crunch as it connects with his nose and he releases me. I spin around ready to kick him in the groin but he grabs ahold of my long pony tail and yanks my head back. Before I can react he punches me in the gut over and over again. I'm in excruciating pain but I still try to get some punches in. He spins me around and pulls me to his chest again but this time with his arm under my chin and he lifts me off the ground. He's crushing my airways and I can no longer breath. I can feel my strength quickly failing me as I try to pull his arm away or kick him. Unfortunately I can't get out of the hold he has me in and the edges of my vision start to go black. Everything sounds like it's from far away but I can still see Tobias. He looks angry and pained and possibly disgusted? Disappointed? My sight goes totally black just as Tobias says

"Enough."

I wake up in the infirmary with Christina, Will, and Al all sitting around me.

"Well that sucked." I say and the others give me small smiles. I can tell that they are all just as miserable as I am.

"What happened after I blacked out?" I ask them, curious about what I missed.

"Well Four tried to wake you up but you wouldn't respond so he picked you up and brought you here. After that it was Colby and Molly's turn. Turns out. Molly is pretty good and she knocked Colby out after a few punches. Honestly I think you did the best considering who you were fighting. If he hadn't nearly choked you to death you might have won!" Christina says with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Is all I say in response. I try to move into a more comfortable position on the bed but the slightest movement sends sharp waves of pain through every bit of my body. I gasp but bite my lip, not wanting to show any weakness.

"Am I allowed to leave?" I ask. I really don't like the medical smell of this place.

"The nurse said you could leave once you woke up as long as you don't feel dizzy. Are you feeling ok enough to go back to the dorm?"

"Yeah but can we just move slowly?" The other three nod and we all walk slowly back to the dorm. Once I get in there I decide to take a hot shower. Hopefully the heat will help my body relax and not hurt so much.

After my shower I come back out to the dorm room to see just about everyone laying on their beds. As much as I would love to do that too I decide instead to walk around and try to keep my muscles loose. Moving is extremely painful and I can't help but wince now and then. I wander aimlessly until suddenly a hand lightly grasps the upper part of my arm. I immediately tense and am prepared to punch whoever it is if they try to hurt me. Quickly I spin around and it's Tobias standing there. Instead of his presence making me feel more relaxed, it makes me more tense and anxious than ever. I feel an extreme amount of shame and guilt for how I fought today and I find I can't look Tobias in the eye.

"Hey Tris." He says lightly.

"Do you want to go talk somewhere?" I nod my head yes and slowly follow him to an empty hallway. He must of known I would be sore because he walks slowly and doesn't try to rush me. The whole time I feel like I should say something and by the time we get to the hallway I can't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry." I blurt out. Tobias gives me a confused look and I drop my gaze from his again.

"Hey, look at me. What in the world are you apologizing for?" He asks softly. I can feel my face turn red out of shame as I think of my fight.

"You're disappointed in me. My fight was pathetic and I don't deserve to be in Dauntless." Now that I have gotten everything off my chest I feel a little better.

"Woah woah woah. I am not disappointed in you. I can't even imagine an instance where I could be disappointed in you. For your first fight ever, you did very well. Especially against a guy twice your size. Some more training and practice and you will probably be one of the better fighters. Next time you should probably do something about your hair and maybe you'll have a better chance of you attack first. Besides that you did great and I couldn't be more proud. You fit in well here at Dauntless and I know that you deserve to be here more than most. I have faith in you Tris, now you just have to have faith in yourself."

Everything he says seems to take weight off my shoulders and I now feel pretty good for a person who just got beaten on. I smile up at Tobias, once again able to look him in the eye. I go up on my tip toes and give him a quick kiss on his lips.

"Thank you for everything Tobias." I say, knowing how much harder this would be if he wasn't here.

"I'll see you later ok? I'm kind of tired and I hurt like, everywhere. I'll see you at dinner though ok" Tobias makes his pouty face and then huffs, pretending to be upset.

"I guess. Although I think you're just making excuses to get away from me." He says with a twinkle in his eye.

"I would never do that." I say before giving him another quick kiss.

"Bye Tobias." I whisper before turning and walking away.

"Bye Tris." I hear him softly call after me.

**Wow! 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I'm so glad you like this story and I love hearing your thoughts and ideas. You are all awesome! -KEB**


	24. Chapter 24

The next day I woke up very sore all over. Thankfully, today was just more technique stuff and not fighting. All day long I focused intently on everything that Tobias was showing us. I didn't stop until I could do everything without having to think of it. By the end of the day I was exhausted but I had never felt better. That night I crawl into bed and immediately fall into a dreamless sleep. I wake up to Tobias's voice and am wide awake within seconds. Already I can feel the excitement coursing through me. This time I will win. This time I will walk off the mat unassisted.

When we get into the training room Tobias is standing in front of the covered up board just like he was two days ago. This time he didn't say anything but just uncovers the board.

Will and Peter  
Molly and Tris  
Christina and Drew  
Al and Edward  
Myra and Colby

I can't help but smile. I can take Molly, I know I can. I watch Will and Peter fight and I get more excited as the minutes pass. Will gets a lucky punch in and Peter goes down. Now it's my turn.

Molly and I stand on the mat and I concentrate on everything I had learned, letting myself stay calm but at the same time use the adrenaline coursing through me. As soon as Tobias tells us to start I punch Molly once in the stomach and once in the face. Her nose is gushing blood but she ignores it and charges at me. Luckily I am much faster than her and easily avoid her. As she charges past me I kick her in the back and she falls forward. I punch her solidly in the side of the head and she passes out. I won. I can't believe it I actually won! I walk off the mat and stand with Christina and Will to watch the rest of the fights. At one point I make eye contact with Tobias and he smiles at me. Gosh I love his smile.

After Colby is knocked out by Myra Tobias releases us for the rest of the day. After dinner I go to the dorm but I have too much energy to sleep. I decide to go for a walk and eventually wind up at the railing above the chasm. I stand there just looking at the rushing water, not paying attention to the time.

Suddenly I get the feeling that someone is standing behind me. My heart starts to race as I think about it being Tobias and I turn around with a huge smile on my face. But when I turn around, it's Drew and Molly standing there, not Tobias.

"Oh. Hi guys! What's up?" I ask pleasantly, I've never really talked to either of them before but I think they're pretty ok. Neither of them respond and then out of nowhere Drew punches me hard in the stomach. The air is knocked out of me and I gasp for air, desperately trying to figure out what's happening.

"You're going to pay Stiff." Drew says while Molly stands behind him.

"You're going to pay for beating Molly up, you're going to wish you had never come here." Both Drew and Molly have evil grins on their faces. I have no where to run, there's no one to help, I have no way to over power them both. I can't stop them.


	25. Chapter 25

"Please don't do this guys. It was nothing personal, just training. Please." I figure I should try to talk my way out first but it doesn't even faze them. Slowly

Drew comes closer to me and grabs me by the hair. He throws me to the ground and Molly kicks me in the side. Pain rips through me and I can't breathe. Molly continues to kick me and Drew punches me over and over again.

All I can do to protect myself is cover my head. Finally I can't stand the pain any longer.

"Help! Somebody help me! Please!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I don't know if anyone heard me but I have no more options. Drew reaches down and grabs me by the throat, picking me up until my feet dangle a foot above the ground.

"Nice knowing you Stiff, but now it's time to say goodbye." He moves forward until he's holding me above the Chasm on the other side of the railing. The water roars below me and I know that I'm not going to survive until tomorrow.

My vision start to become dark around the edges and I force myself to stay conscious. Suddenly I hear a thud behind Drew. Before he can turn around someone punches him hard in the temple and Drew drops like a stone. But when he passes out he also let's go of me and I can feel myself falling. Before I can scream someone grabs my hand. I look up into Tobias's blue eyes and my heart swells with gratitude and love for him.

"I've got you." He says before pulling me up and over the railing. I fall into his arms and am enveloped in his warmth and the comfort of his strength. Suddenly all strength and energy leaves my body and everything goes black.

I wake up in Tobias's room, laying on his bed. I look around for him and finally see him sitting at the counter drinking a glass water. He seems I'm awake and quickly walks over to me and sits on the bed.

"Here have some of this." He hands me the water and I slowly take a sip.

"How are you feeling." He asks me while stroking my hand.

"Everything hurts. And I'm mad."

"You have every right to be mad. Those idiots that attacked you were cowards and will be Factionless tomorrow." I nod and am glad they're going to be gone but my eyes well up with tears.

"Hey hey hey. What's the matter!" Tobias asks looking at me worriedly.

"I feel so helpless."

"You are not helpless and you should never feel like you are. They attacked you two to one and nothing is more cowardly than that. I need you to do me a favor though."

"Yeah and what's that?"

"Before they are sent away, make them pay." I can't help but smile.

"Will do." I try to move into a more comfortable position but stop because of the pain in my sides. I can't help but wince and take a sharp intake of breath.

"Hard to move huh?" Tobias asks.

"Yeah, this really sucks." I say. Tobias laughs.

"I can see that. Would you like to stay here tonight? You'll still be sore in the morning but my bed is more comfortable." He flashes me a smile and I decide if would be much more pleasant to stay here with Tobias safe and comfortable.

"I guess I can do that. But where will you sleep?"

"I can sleep on the floor."

"No don't do that! Maybe we can share?"

"As long as you don't mind."

"As long as you don't accidentally hit a sore spot." I say teasingly. Slowly and gently he climbs onto the bed with me. He lays down behind me and scoots up nice and close. Slowly he wraps his arms around me and snuggles close.

"Are you ok?" He whispers in my ear.

"Never better." I whisper back.

"I'm glad. Now get some sleep ok? And I'll be here for you all night long." I smile at the thought and the last thing I remember is the feeling of Tobias holding me close.


	26. Chapter 26

I wake up with a smile on my face and I feel like I'm bursting with happiness. It takes me a moment to remember why I'm so happy. Tobias! He's why I'm so happy. I go to roll over onto my side but gasp at the pain that shoots through my body. Why does everything hurt so much? Oh yeah I was assaulted by Drew and Molly. Jerks.

Slowly I manage to roll over so I can see Tobias's face. He's still asleep and extremely cute. I can't help but lay there and watch him. After a few minutes I reach out and pinch his nose. After a few moments he wakes up with a gasp. I quickly drop my hand and close my eyes, pretending that I'm still asleep. However it doesn't work because I can't keep the grin off my face.

"Oh you think that's funny do you?" Tobias asks in a low teasing tone. I open one eye and peek at him then close it again.

"Maybay. Why whatcha gunna do about it?" I ask in a fake cocky tone.

"Hmm... THIS!" Before I can react Tobias is tickling me and I can't help but squeal and squirm.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" I gasp as I laugh and try to fight him off. Tobias laughs too but doesn't stop tickling me. I keep squirming more and more when suddenly I feel myself falling backwards. I land with a thud on the floor.

"Ruuuuude." I whine from the floor. Tobias peers over the edge of the bed at me and props up his head with a hand.

"How did that feel?" He asks while trying not to laugh.

"Wonderful." I say and give him a fake glare. I try to get up but it hurts to try so I just groan and lay there.

"Can you help me up? It hurts to move." Tobias gets off the bed and help me stand.

"You're gunna have to deal with it, you still have to get through initiation." Darn. I had forgotten about that until he said something. I sigh and look up at his dark blue eyes.

"I guess I should be going then. I'll see you later." I turn and head toward the door but Tobias pulls me back.

"Wait. I need my goodbye kiss." He says with a smile. Ugh, why does he have to be so cute and attractive?

"Fine but only one." I stand on my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss on the lips. I turn to leave again but once again Tobias pulls me back.

"Nooo I want a real kiss." Before I can reply he pushes me up against the wall and slowly touches his lips to mine. He glides his tongue across my lips and I instinctively part them just a little bit. Slowly, gently, his tongue slides between my lips just a little bit. This is new. My heart beats faster and I frantically wonder what I should do. Before I can react his tongue slides back out and I can't help but gasp for air.

"Now you can go." He whispers in my ear. Ah, he drives me crazy.

"Oh ah ok." I say kind of stupidly. I shakily walk to the door and fumble with the door nob. Goodness why can't I pull myself together? How can he do this to me?

I take a deep breath and slowly open the door just enough so I can peer down both ends of the hallway. No one is coming so I quickly slip through the door and walk as fast as I can to the dorm.

When I get there I open the door slowly and quietly making sure not to wake anyone, especially not Christina. I quickly grab some clothes and slip into the shower. I let the hot water sooth my aches and pains before getting out and getting dressed.

I finish getting ready and I walk over to my bed. Just as I sit down the dorm door flies open and in walks Tobias. His hair is damp so he must have just gotten out of the shower. Mmm Tobias in the shower. No. Stop. Concentrate. I shake my head to clear it and look at Tobias again. My gaze automatically lands on his lips and all I want to do his kiss him some more. Tobias notices me staring at him and he stares back. My face flushes and I feel warm all over. I drop my face into my hands so I will stop staring at him.

"Get up and get ready for breakfast." He says in what I've come to refer to as his 'Instructor Voice'.

"After breakfast I have an important announcement to make. Get moving." And with that he walks out the door and slams it behind him.

Now that he's gone I can finally breathe normally again. That is until Christina practically throws herself onto my bed.

"Tris?! Where did you go yesterday?! You like disappeared!" I hold my breath for a moment and bite my lower lip as I try to think of a good lie.

"Uuum. Well, it's kind of a funny story..."

**Hey! Thank you all for the reviews! Sorry for the lack of updates! I'll try to bust out as many chapters as possible over the next two weeks. **

**-KEB**


	27. Chapter 27

"Well I'm listening! Tell me this 'funny story'!" Christina says.

"Oh well you see, after training I decided to go for a walk and I got lost." I say all in a rush. I hold my breath and hope she doesn't notice that I'm lying.

"I can tell you're lying Tris." Christina says with a smile. Crud. Stupid Candor instincts.

"So where were you really?"

"Listen Christina, I can't tell you right now but someday I will ok?" I ask her with big begging eyes.

"Fiiine." Christina huffs.

"But you will tell me." She says forcefully and then gets up to get ready for the day.

I let out a sigh of relief and flop backwards onto my bed. When will things get less complicated?

After breakfast Tobias bring us all to the usual meeting room. He stands in front of us with a stern and serious look on his face. I wish he was smiling instead, I love his smile. Ugh. Concentrate!

"A serious event occurred last night that cannot be ignored." He starts in his instructor voice.

"Drew and Molly attacked another initiate and showed what true cowards they are. Both have been apprehended and will be Factionless by the end of today. Because of this, no one will be kicked out at the end of this stage of initiation. Training will continue as will the fights and you are still expected to do your best. We will meet in the training room an hour from now to work on technique. You may leave."

Immediately everyone stands up and the whispering begins as they leave. I know that they are trying to figure out who was attacked and I know they're going to figure out it was me. I don't care. I'm not weak. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere.

"Tris, can I talk to you?" Tobias calls to me. I turn around and walk back to him.

"I'm going to the train right now to see Drew and Molly off. Do you want to come?" I think for a moment when an idea suddenly occurs to me.

"Can I say goodbye to them in whatever manner I see fit?" I ask carefully. Tobias gives me an odd look and then shrugs his shoulders.

"Sure why not." He opens the door for me and follows me out of the room. I follow him through the compound and wonder how this confrontation is going to go.

When we get outside Max is standing beside the train tracks with Drew and Molly. As Tobias and I walk closer I can see that they're hands are tied together.

"Hey Max." Tobias says with a wave.

"I can take them from here if you want." Tobias offers.

"Thanks, I need to get some stuff done anyways. See you later." Max says and then heads back to the compound. Drew and Molly are both glaring at me like it's my fault they're being sent away.

"What is she doing here?" Drew asks rather nastily. Man this guys a jerk.

"Tris has come to say goodbye to you two." Tobias replies in his threatening tone. He waves me forward and I approach Molly first.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Molly. I wish things hadn't gone this way because I never meant to upset you in any way. Good luck with everything." I finish and give her a small encouraging smile. She doesn't say anything but just continues to glare at me. Whatever, I did what I could. Next I walk over to Drew.

"The same to you Drew. Sorry for everything." I say.

"Get lost you-" I have a feeling he's about to call me a word I would not appreciate so I let my instincts take over. Before he can finish talking I grab his shoulders and knee him in the groin. He falls to the ground with a groan and curls up in the fetal position. Oops. My bad. I look up and see in the distance steam from the train.

"You may want to get up soon. The trains coming." I say with a smile. Without another word I turn and begin walking back to the compound. I hear Tobias laughing behind me and I can't help but smile. That was surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe I should knee guys in the groin more often, but only if they deserve it.

I go straight to the training room and pass the time by practicing the moves I know on the punching bags. It's surprising how much I've improved over the past two weeks and there's only two weeks of this level left. Before too long everyone has arrived but Tobias. We all just kinda chat for a while until Tobias comes in.

"Let's get started."


	28. Chapter 28

The rest of the month went by quickly with no more incidents. Before I knew it it was once again time for us to see our rankings. Tobias had us in our usual meeting place with the board covered up behind him.

"Before I show you this I want to say something. Each of you have done very well with the physical part of initiation but from now on everything is mental. Stay sharp and work hard. Here are your rankings for step three." Tobias uncovers the board and steps back;

Edward  
Will  
Peter  
Al  
Tris  
Christina  
Colby  
Myra

I let out a sigh of relief as I read through the names. Knowing that I'm not the worst makes me feel soo much better. It's a good thing no one is leaving though because I'm not sure how Edward would have handled it if Myra was sent packing. But that's not important now. All that's left for me to be truly Dauntless is some weapon training, fear simulations, and a walk through my fear landscape... whatever that is. I feel ok about the rest of initiation but what Tobias said is botching me a bit. It's all mental? What if I'm mentally not strong enough for what's coming next? I shake my head to clear it. There's no point in freaking myself out before I know what I'm dealing with. Even though I tell myself that I'm still kind of freaked out.

"Alright you all have the rest of the day to yourselves. Dismissed."

Even though I would like to spend some time with Tobias there's just too much going on in my head. Instead I go to the dorm and relax on my bed. I must of zone out for quite a while or something because before I know it it's time for bed. I quickly get up and go through my usual routine before falling into my bed and immediately falling asleep.

When I wake up my stomach immediately starts churning with nervousness. During breakfast I practically don't eat anything and I only talk when someone speaks directly too me. By the time I go to meet Tobias in the training room with everyone else my heart feels like its pounding right out of my chest. Tobias stands in front of a target with a half smile on his face.

"Welcome to stage four. This stage will consist of accuracy with weapons. Today we are going to concentrate on throwing knives." He raises one hand so we can see the five knives in his hand. Suddenly I'm not so nervous anymore. Hopefully this will be just like old times.

"Let's begin. Everyone watch me a few times and then I'll let you go to see what you can do."

We all form a half circle around him and watch as he takes his stand, balances the knife in his hand, draws his hand back, and within the blink of an eye the knife is sticking out of the very center of the bullseye of the target. Most of the other initiates gasp in surprise but I just try to hide the smile on my face. He's gotten good at that, really good. He throws the other four knives, each one sticking out of the bullseye and then lines each of us up in front of a target.

We are all given five throwing knives and are left basically to figure it out. Before I throw any of the knives I do the motion of throwing them just to remind myself of what it feels like. When I feel ready I pick up my knives and take my stand in front of the target. I think back to those times in Tobias's room when we taught ourselves to do this. I focus on that memory and the target in front of me as I bring my hand back and release the knife. It sticks into the target on the ring just outside of the bullseye. Darn, I guess I need to polish up on my accuracy a bit.

"Hmm." Tobias hums into my ear, jumping me a bit.

"Beginner's luck?" he asks with a smile. I nod my head a bit and fight back a smile.

"Although that was pretty good, your technique needs just a little bit of work." He says quietly in my ear.

"You think so?" I ask innocently.

"Just a little bit. But don't worry, I can give you some tips." He gets behind me and positions me in the stance I need for throwing the knife. His body is pressed up against my back and I have to shake my head clear so I don't get lost in the sensation of it. He takes his right hand and covers mine that is holding the knife. He pulls my hand back and holds to there for a moment.

"Take a deep breath. Image this knife in the center of the bullseye. Let your breath out slowly. Throw it... now!" The knife goes flying through the air and sticks in the very edge of the bullseye.

"Much better." Tobias says with a smile. He then continues down the line to help the other initiates. So far I'm the only one to have gotten the knife to hit and stick in the target. Although I do kind of have an unfair advantage over them.

We continue to practice for I don't know how long but everyone has improved tremendously. Everyone can now get the knives to stick in the targets and are slowly getting closer to hitting bulls eyes. They've all come a long way since this morning and are starting to creep up on me. I have the best accuracy so far and haven't missed a bullseye in about twenty or so throws. Every now and again I can feel Tobias's eyes on me. It would make me nervous if I didn't like it so much and if I wasn't having so much throwing the knives.

I have just walked up to my target to pull out my five knives when the door to the training room opens. I turn to see Eric the Creep (as I've begun calling him) walk inside. Inwardly I groan and see Tobias's body stiffen and his face turn dark and expressionless like a mask. Why would Eric be here?

**I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Thank you all for the reviews, you guys are awesome! Happy Holidays! -KEB**


	29. Chapter 29

We've all stopped what we're doing to watch Eric.

"Did I tell you to stop?" Tobias asks loudly. Quickly we all go back to throwing knives. We all must be nervous to have Eric watching us because our throws are less accurate than they were before.

"Stop." The sudden command was not given by Tobias but instead by Eric.

Immediately we all freeze and look at Tobias to know what to do. His face is still a hard mask and I'm worried what will happen next.

"I have an idea." Eric says smooth. Ugh even his voice creeps me out.

"Let's play a game to see who is the bravest." His eyes glint evilly and I swallow hard, this can't be good.

"Is this really necessary?" Tobias bored tone. Eric glares at him and then smiles in his dark and creepy way.

"Yes it is because I said it is. So this is what we're going to do. Each of you will take a turn standing in front of this target. While you stand there, good ole Four will throw these five knives at you one at a time. Don't close your eyes, don't flinch, and don't get stabbed. Alright?"

Ugh he's such a creep! I really kinda just want to punch him in the face. What the heck is this "game" supposed to prove? Definitely not bravery. This is just a screwed up way for Eric to have some entertainment. He makes me sick.

"So who's first?" Eric asks with a smile.

One by one each of the initiates took their turn "playing" the "game". None of them managed to stay unmoving past the third knife. Each time Tobias threw a knife, it was closer to their bodies and they became more nervous. I could see Eric was enjoying himself watching the others be in discomfort and fear. Tobias just looked bored but I have a feeling more than boredom is going on inside.

"Come on Tris get moving." Eric says. I decide right there and then I won't let Eric get any satisfaction from this. I won't move, I won't blink, I won't let him bully me. I stand in front of the target facing Tobias. I know everyone is watching me but I didn't care. Instead I focus on Tobias's eyes. The dark blue that calms me down but at the same time makes my heart race. His eyes lock with mine and I don't look away as he brings his arm up and releases the first knife. It sticks in the target about four inches away from my face on the left. I didn't flinch, I didn't even blink.

Tobias releases the next knife and this one sticks in the target three inches away from my face on the right. Still I don't react. The next on he throws is two inches away from my face and when I still don't react Eric seems to get aggravated that I'm not getting scared. Tobias throws the next knife and I feel the wind on my face as it sticks in the target less than an inch from my face. I still don't react.

I trust Tobias and I know that he would never hit me. At least, unless he wanted to on purpose. I try to put that thought out of my mind and focus again on Tobias's blue eyes. He brings his arm back and let's the knife fly through the air. I will myself not to move as I feel a burning sensation at the top of my ear. I gently touch the spot with my finger tips and pull them away to find blood warm and thick on them. Lovely. I look up at Eric and see his face is clouded with anger.

"Well I guess we know who the bravest one of you is now." He says almost in a snarl. Ok, now he's got me mad. I take a few steps away from the target and glare at him.

"This "game" as you call it did nothing to prove who is or isn't brave. It was stupid, idiotic, and just a way for you to bully us around. And if I do recall bullying is a form of cowardice. That's not very Dauntless of you Eric."

Uh oh. I probably shouldn't have said that. Well it's too late now. I watch as Eric's face turns a bright red. He slowly steps closer to me until we're practically face to face. I think for a moment that he's going to kill me but what he does instead surprises and revolts me. He smiles at me but the smile is cold and forced.

"Well Tris you are quite a feisty one." He takes one hand and cups my cheek with it.

"I like feisty." He says in a tone of voice I really don't like. It takes all of my will power not to punch him in the face or throw up on him.

"But from now on, how about you watch the way you talk to me? I am a leader after all you know." He looks at me for another moment and then licks his lips.

Ugh he's disgusting.

"You're all dismissed." He shouts. He turns to leave, glares at Tobias, and then walks out with everyone trailing after him from a distance. I start to follow when Tobias's voice calls me back.

"A word please Tris." He says in his instructor voice. After everyone has left he leans down and kisses me sweetly on the lips.

"You know, you probably just did something really stupid." I sigh and nod my head.

"Yeah probably. But what's done is done." I feel a little itch on my ear and scratch it. When I bring my hand back down it's covered in blood.

"Crud." Is all I say and I put my hand against my ear in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Tobias's go soft and I think he may even look, sorry? Ashamed?

"Sorry about cutting you Tris." He whispers. I raise an eyebrow and give him a look that says I don't believe you.

"You did it on purpose didn't you?" I ask him. He doesn't reply but instead just nods.

"Showing off in front of Eric?" I tease. Tobias's eyes go wide in disbelief.

"NO. I just wanted him to see that you were strong and wouldn't be pushed around. I want everyone to see how amazing you are, the way I see you."

I can't help but blush and I throw my arms around him.

"Mwuah!" I plant a big kiss on his cheek and squeeze him in a tight hug.

"Thanks for everything. Today was fun but I should probably get going now."

His face falls in disappointment but he nods.

"I'll see you later right?" He asks hopefully.

"Of course." I say with a smile and walk out of the training room. First things first though, I need to get my stupid ear to stop bleeding.


	30. Chapter 30

For the last couple of weeks we've been refining our knife throwing skills. It's pretty safe to say now that I am by far the best at. Everyday Tobias had to find something new to challenge me and I'm now capable of throwing a knife from one end of the training room to the other and hitting a target no bigger than an inch. I guess it's a good thing I have perfect eyesight.

Today as I walk into the training room I can see that things will be different. Instead of the usual knives on the table, today there are handguns. I've never shot a gun before and I'm nervous that I'm not going to be good at it. As usual Tobias is standing there waiting for us and I get the familiar painful tug of longing as I look at him all handsome in his black clothes. We make eye contact and I quickly look away. He can unnerve me so easily it's ridiculous.

"Today, you will begin learning how to use a fire arm. For the rest of the month this is what we'll be working on. Everyone get a gun and stand in front of a target, don't do anything until I tell you to." Quickly we all do as he says and look at him expectantly.

"Now make sure your gun has ammunition. Hold the gun with both hands, take your stance, aim at the target, and shoot." We all do as we're told and as soon as I shoot the gun my ears start ringing and I can feel a jarring in my shoulder.

"Crud!" I exclaim a little louder than I intended since I can't really hear. I'm rubbing my shoulder when suddenly Tobias is behind me.

"Problem?" He asks causing me to jump.

"No To-Four. I just jarred my shoulder." I say while staring at the floor.

"That's because you are too tense." He comes up closer behind me and places a hand on each of my shoulders. He makes me lean against him a bit and he leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Take your stance. No, spread your feet a little farther for more balance. Now raise the gun. Close your eyes and just relax." I do as he says even though it's almost impossible to relax with his hard, lean body against my back. I try taking a deep breath and rolling my shoulders.

"Now visualize where you want the bullet to go and put it there." I open my eyes, aim, and shoot. It wasn't quite where I wanted it but at least my shoulder wasn't hurt again. I turn to look at Tobias and I can't help but smile. Why does he have to be so darn cute?!

"Thank you... Four." He nods and then continues on to help the others. I let out a sigh and can't help but wish that training would be over soon so I can be with Tobias.

For the rest of the day we practice with the guns and once again I'm practically hitting the bullseye every try. I can't help but feel kind of proud of myself because for once I'm doing something correctly without really having to try too hard. It's a great feeling. I just wish everything could come this easily.

The last few weeks have gone by quickly and tomorrow the rankings of this stage will be posted. I'm pretty excited and when I crawl into bed it takes me a little while to fall asleep. When I do, I dream of Tobias holding me close and kissing me sweetly.

"Everyone up! Now!" A stern voice rudely awakens me. I open my eyes but everything is blurry so I use my fists to rub them. When I look again Tobias stands in the doorway with Eric, Lauren, and some other Dauntless that I don't know.

"Get up and get dressed. Put on layers, it's a little chilly outside." Peter yawns loudly and stretches.

"Why are we going outside?" He asks in a kind of whiny voice. Tobias narrows his eyes at Peter giving him a harsh glare. I wonder if he's still mad at Peter for trying to kiss me that day.

"I'm sorry. Did I ask for questions?" Tobias asks in a dangerous tone. Peter quickly closes his mouth and scrambles out of bed to get dressed. Tobias's eyes drift over to me and with a jolt I realize I haven't started moving yet. Quickly I jump out of bed and then wish I hadn't. I suddenly remember that all I have on is a tight tank top and my underwear. Crud. I take a deep breathe and quickly grab a pair of tight black pants to pull on. As quickly as I possibly can I pull the pants on back to Tobias and the rest of the crowd. When I turn around I can feel my face burning but I ignore it as I pull on a long sleeve shirt and zip up hoodie. When I get my shoes on I stand there waiting and make eye contact with Tobias. He raises an eyebrow the way he does and I just glare back. I am not impressed with the rude wake up call at all and I want him to know it. His mouth twitches like he's fighting back a smile but I don't care. He had better have a good reason for this.

When everyone is all set Tobias looks us over in a calculating kind of way.

"Tonight, we are going to be playing a game of capture the flag. I will be one team captain and Eric will be the other. The object of the game is simple, get the other team's flag back to your side before they get yours. We will be using paint ball guns so remember your training from the last couple of weeks. If you get shot, you sit out for the rest of the game got it? Oh, and the Dauntless born will be playing as well. Now if everyone is all set, we have a train to catch."

**Wow! Over 150 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I'm so so sorry for the lack of updates! My sister got married on Saturday so my household has been pretty hectic. Hopefully I'll have some more updates for you guys soon! Stay awesome! -KEB**


	31. Chapter 31

We all gather next to the train tracks in a silent group. Within a few minutes the light of the train appears in the distance.

"Everyone, get in the same boxcar." Tobias commands. As the train goes by Tobias easily jumps into one of the cars and we all follow suite. I jump in pretty easily but people are in my way so I'm stuck by the opening. All of a sudden the car lurches unexpectedly and I lose my footing. I know I'm going to fall out but just before I do an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back in. I take a deep breath and look up at my rescuer. Of course, it's Tobias.

"Thanks." I mumble and push my way next to Christina. I'd prefer not to repeat that incident.

"Alright! First things first, we need to pick teams." Tobias says loudly. He turns to Eric,

"Do you want to pick first?" He asks.

"No you pick first. You're going to need all the help you can get." Eric says slyly.

"Ok." Tobias takes his time looking all of us over. Finally he seems to have made up his mind.

"Tris." My heart leaps and I fight back the smile. He chose me first. ME!

"Ha!" Eric snorts. I turn to glare at him as he slaps Tobias on the back.

"Got yourself a scape goat so when you loose you can blame it on the Stiff?" He asks while laughing. I really just want to punch him in the face until I hear Tobias's reply.

"Yeah something like that!" He says also while laughing. I turn my glare at him and have to fight the urge to slap him across the face. When Tobias sees my face he stops laughing and clears his throat.

"Your turn Eric."

"I pick Edward."

They continue picking the members of the team until we're all split up evenly. By the end Tobias's team consists of me, Christina, Will, a couple of Dauntless born name Uriah and Marlene, and some other Dauntless born that I didn't catch the names of. By looking at my team mates I notice we all have a similar physique. All of us are pretty lean and by the looks of it, good runners. Most of the other team is bulky and strong.

"Shall we jump off first?" Tobias asks Eric.

"Don't do me any favors." Eric says with his usual unsettling smile.

"Don't worry, I won't." Tobias says with a sly smile.

"My team! Get ready to jump off." We all clamber to the opening of the car not wanting to be left behind.

"Get ready. Jump... now!" We all jump and land safely, practically without any injuries. Just a few scrapes and bruises here and there. I look around and notice an old ferris wheel next to a dock and a body of water. There's also an old merry go round and some other abandoned carnival things. It's all rather sad and I can't help but think how much fun it would be if this stuff was repaired so it could be used again. We all turn on our flashlights and Will is the first one to speak. It figures he'd be the one to take the lead.

"What do we do now?" He asks Tobias who is leaning against an old ticket booth looking bored. Tobias doesn't answer and just shrugs his shoulders.

"I think we're supposed to win this by ourselves." I say.

"Ok. What we need to do is place our flag, protect it, find the other team's flag, and get it back here safely. So firstly, where should we put our flag?" Will asks.

"Hey who put you in charge?" The kid named Uriah asks.

"I did." Will says with a surprising amount of conviction.

"Cool just wondering." Uriah says and winks at me. I can't help but laugh and out of the corner of my eye I can see Tobias watching me closely. Hmm jealous? Good. Christina steps closer to Will and looks up at the ferris wheel.

"We should put it up high, where they won't expect it and will have trouble getting to it." She says. Suddenly a thought pops into my head.

"That's a great idea! We should put it on the top of the ferris wheel!" I say.

"Everyone ok with that?" Will asks. Everyone nods their heads and then the girl names Marlene speaks up.

"Well who's gunna put it up there." She asks.

"I will." I say quickly.

"And while I'm up there I'll look for the lights of the other team so we'll know where their flag is. When I come back we can place some people to guard and the rest can go after the other flag."

I get the flag and head towards the ferris wheel while everyone else discusses who will be going where. When I reach the ferris wheel I begin climbing the ladder that runs up the middle of it. The first few rungs seem pretty sturdy so I keep going. Suddenly I feel a hand on my waist and I automatically turn and take a swing at whoever was dumb enough to touch me. Tobias just manages to duck my right hook and he holds his hands up in surrender.

"It's just me! Please don't attack!" He says with a smile. I can't help but roll my eyes at him.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

"Yes, keep climbing so we can get up there and get down."

"I don't need a chaperone."

"I know that, I just wanted to be able to be alone with you for a little while."

"Fine, you can come along." I say with an exasperated sigh. Tobias raises one of his eyebrows and looks likes he trying not to laugh.

"Who said I asking for permission?" I shake my head and start climbing, painfully aware of the fact that Tobias has a wonderful view of my butt. Well I guess so long as he looks but doesn't touch.

"Hey!" I exclaim.

"Sorry, wrong rung." Tobias says with a laugh. Boys, what can you do?

As we continue climbing I can hear Tobias breathing heavier and heavier.

"Are you ok?" I call to him. When he doesn't answer I stop climbing.

"Tobias?"

"I'm not. Fond of heights." He says while gasping for breath. Hmm this probably wasn't a good idea for him.

"Well um. Just don't look down." I say, not the greatest advice but it's all I've got. I keep climbing and within a few minutes I'm finally at the top. Carefully I tie the flag to the bar on one of the ferris wheel cars. After, I stand up as tall as I can and look around. Within a few moments I notice the lights just on the outside of the forest. Bingo. I turn to Tobias.

"I know where they are!" I say excitedly.

"Mhmm." Is all he replies. We're both sitting on a bar and Tobias has his eyes squeezed shut. He's holding onto the bar so tight his knuckles are white and I can't help but feel bad for him.

"Hey I'm right here." I say quietly and place one of my hands on his. He doesn't react so I kiss him on the cheek.

"We can go down now ok?" Still without saying anything Tobias opens his eyes and starts climbing down. I can't help but notice how pale he is and I really want to make him feel better. Maybe when we get back on solid ground. I stand up on the bar and just before I turn to start climbing I feel it give out from underneath me. I feel myself falling and a shout of surprise and fear escapes me as I fall towards my death.


End file.
